Much Ado About Nothing
by Erratta
Summary: Third in the Spirit Quintology. A class reunion reunites Lancer with an old friend just as his job is threatened and a dead hippie hits the scene...
1. Reunions

**Much Ado About Nothing**

_So, way back when I was originally posting "All's Well", I got a review from **linkmaste** suggesting that Lancer's friends (wait, he has friends?) start getting suspicious and try to find out the reasons for his sudden behaviour changes. And I thought, "hey! Cool idea, but sadly I've already written a sequel." But the idea was just too good to pass up, so Will Spirit got a third story (which bled into a fourth, which created a fifth). Of course, there's more to the plot than that, but I'm not telling._

_I am greatly indebted to Golden Lunar Eclipse for her help fleshing out one of my OCs. She can borrow him whenever she wants (but Spirit's all mine!). _

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

_I do not own Danny Phantom or Ghost World. Anyone who wants to sell me DP (coughbutchhartmancough) is welcome to, however. As long as it's cheap, because I'm broke._

William Lancer was rudely awoken by the phone in his office ringing. He jerked awake and almost fell out of his chair. He steadied himself and grabbed the receiver, cursing the ghosts that had attacked the night before.

"Casper High. How may I help you?" he said, stifling a yawn. The voice on the other end was confident and poised. It belonged to the sort of woman wore tasteful amounts of jewelry and believed firmly in women's rights (within reason).

"Hi," it said. "I'm trying to organize a class reunion and I'd like to hold it at the school. Is there someone I can talk to about it?"

"That would be me," Lancer smiled, straightening up in his chair and at least _trying_ to feel like he belonged in it. "I'm the vice-principal. When are you planning to have it?" He pulled a pad of notepaper towards himself and found a pen. He'd need to take notes on this.

"After classes are over, so there's less hassle," the woman said. "I don't have a date yet because we still need to track down a few people, and we're trying to coordinate it so as many can come as possible."

"Of course," agreed Lancer. "Perhaps I can help you find your classmates from this end? I went to Casper High and still have contacts in the community."

"That would be great!" exclaimed the voice. "Would you happen to know anyone from the class of '76?" Lancer's eyebrows shot up involuntarily.

"That's _my_ class. It's William Lancer, by the way."

"You can't be serious!" The voice registered as much shock as Lancer's. "I've being trying to track you down for years. You seriously stayed at CH this whole time?"

"Ashamed, but yes." _This woman knows who I am. I knew her._ "And you would be...?"

"Cathy Sanders," the voice said hastily. "It's Cathy Martin now." If Lancer hadn't already been fully awake, he would have woken up at that.

"C-Cathy?" he stammered. "Er, congratulations. Always knew you two would get together. What are you doing these days?" _Why wasn't I invited to the wedding?_

Lancer chatted with Cathy for a while, reminiscing about the "good old days" when he had been a bookworm and cheerleader and she had been prom queen and leader of the Cheering Squad. They both expressed regrets at having lost touch once Lancer had moved out of state to attend university. By the end of the conversation forty-five minutes, they had pretty much caught up and Lancer had been talked into not only tracking down ten people he couldn't remember and booking the school for the reunion, but also into finding a local caterer and scouting out hotels (he'd always been a sucker for Cathy's ploys). He finally hung up the receiver and slumped over his desk, groaning.

_Why do I keep doing this to myself? As if teaching English to two hundred teenagers and maintaining a secret identity weren't enough..._ His phone rang again.

"Yes?" It came out slightly more angrily than he had intended.

"Mr. Lancer, it's Tucker. There's a ghost at Floody Waters and we're kinda having problems." The boy sounded worried, which likely had a lot to do with the blasts and screams Lancer could hear in the background.

"Who all's there?"

"Me, Sam, Danny, and Val."

"And _four_ people can't deal with it?"

"Nope, he's really ... ouch! Hey! Sorry, gotta go!" The line went dead.

Lancer grabbed his coat and briefcase and rushed out, muttering something about "errands" for the benefit of the secretary. He tossed his things in the back seat and drove off quickly. He pulled over a couple blocks away and muttered, "_Ghost World_." Two rings of white light enveloped him and Lancer again became his alter-ego, Will Spirit. He quickly went intangible and flew to the water park. If four seasoned and well-armed ghost hunters couldn't catch this ghost, he should probably be very afraid.

---

When Will Spirit saw the ghost currently haunting the Floody Waters Water Park, he couldn't quite understand why it was causing everyone so much trouble. His neon pink skin was the least shocking part of his appearance. Shoulder-length blonde hair and a full beard framed his face, and he'd pulled his hair back with a cream headband. He wore a yellow and purple tie-dye top over a pair of worn bell-bottoms, and was barefooted. He'd completed the Sixties image with a disproportionate peace sign around his neck.

The ghost was currently floating casually between Danny and Valerie, who were both hovering about forty feet above the ground and pouring everything they'd got into him. He wasn't even flinching as ectoblast after ectoblast was absorbed by his body. Actually, he was laughing.

_And _that _would be why they needed me,_ Lancer sighed._ I don't think anyone's noticed they're not hurting him. Teenagers._

Lancer rolled his eyes and flew towards the battle, waving at Sam and Tucker on the ground as he did. He'd almost gotten into range to use ghost breath, which had been his plan, when the ghost began to glow intensely. Suddenly a blast of pink energy shot out of his entire body and knocked the three fighters backwards. When they stopped spinning, he had disappeared.

"Sam? Tucker? See where he went?" Danny shouted. His friends shook their heads.

"He's got teleportation, Danny," Tucker called up.

"Teleportation? Crud. He could be anywhere." Danny sank to the ground in gloom. Lancer followed, but more optimistically.

"He'll show up again, Danny," he said. "They always do. It doesn't look like he's actively causing damage though, so we probably don't have to worry much."

"Yeah, he'll just be pulling pranks like he was when we found him. They weren't really even all that scary." Tucker paused and looked towards the water park's entrance. "We've got company."

He indicated a crowd of people in bathing suits and towels hurrying towards them. The local news crew appeared to have surfaced as well. Danny and Lancer took off into the air again, each carrying an invisible teenager. Valerie flew off in another direction on her jet sled, so there would be at least one member of Team Phantom able to rescue the others if they got cornered.

When the main group was far enough away from the park, Lancer asked, "So, what was this ghost doing?"

"He was pretty much just riding the slides," Danny answered. "I don't think he'd seen them before. And I think he gave a couple old guys wedgies."

"Danny went ghost under a towel and the minute Hippie Dude saw him, he started taunting Danny," Tucker chipped in.

"You mean he _wanted_ to be attacked?" Skulker or Vlad trying to wind Danny up made sense, but a _hippie_? Wasn't their philosophy to _avoid_ conflict whenever possible?

"Yeah," Danny said. "And then he flew off as soon as I got angry. I chased him for a while and then Valerie showed up and we started blasting him. Like you saw, he was just sitting there taking it all and not getting any weaker."

"So ectoenergy doesn't work on him," Lancer mused. "Interesting power. What else does he do, besides flying and that burst thing?"

"Well, teleportation, apparently, and invisibility and intangibility. Nothing else special, by the looks of things."

"Okay. Keep an eye out for when he shows up again. There's my car, Danny. I'll give Tucker a ride home." The African-American boy in Lancer's arms shuddered.

"Getting a ride home with the vice-principal? Do you have _any_ idea what my parents are going to think?"

"Yes. They're going to think you were helping me fix the school server. And you _do_ realize I mark your English papers, right?" Lancer remarked dryly.

If anything positive had happened in the eight months since the accident that had created Will Spirit, it was his newfound ability to laugh and joke around. He still wasn't sure whether that came from the greater confidence of his ghost form or from spending most of his free time with a group of teenagers, but whatever the reason, he liked it. Lancer couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed out loud before he'd fallen into the Fenton's Ghost Portal. He didn't even think he laughed very much in high school.

"And you realize I carry a spare Thermos?" Tucker jokingly threatened. "Okay Sam, Danny, I'll see you later."

Lancer descended over the car, and soon drove off with Tucker beside him. Sam turned to look up at Danny, though she was invisible and he couldn't actually see her.

"Danny, I want to check out a new display at the Skulk and Lurk. Can we go there instead of home?"

"Sure." Danny changed his course for the downtown core and dropped into an alley near the bookstore where he could become human again. He and Sam spent the rest of the afternoon in the store, enjoying themselves and forgetting about the ghostly hippie and the day-to-day pressures of their teenage lives.

The hippie, meanwhile, reappeared by the Amity Observatory, stretched himself out on the roof, and tried to warm up in the sun's rays. It didn't work.

---

_Happy New Year, everyone!_


	2. Visitors

_Thanks to Celestial Maiden Sukira, wfea, femaleprongslet, Moosanana, Melissa45, and Snickerer. I only got one review, though. Can I please have more?_

**Chapter 2: Visitors**

_As per usual, Danny Phantom, Ghost World, Planet of the Apes, Watership Down, and Ender's Game do not belong to me_.

Lancer spent most of his Saturday in the Amity Park library, trying to track down the names on the list Cathy had given him over the phone. He wasn't having much success and was actually growing bored with the work. By mid-afternoon he had had enough and was packing up to leave when a stream of mist left his mouth.

Lancer brightened. There was a ghost around somewhere. Good. Just the energizer he needed.

---

Will Spirit found the ghost fairly easily. All he had to do was fly out of the library and look down.

The hippie ghost was playing chicken. Just as a car was about to hit him, or just as it was swerving to miss, he'd teleport away and reappear a moment later on some other part of the street. There were already three cars up on the sidewalk and one with its hood folded around a lamppost, as the laws of traffic accidents dictated. The ghost appeared to be greatly enjoying himself, at the expense of others. Lancer had to get him away from the road. Now.

"Hey! Hippie! Up here! You know you want to."

Lancer figured that if the ghost had wanted a confrontation yesterday, he ought to want one today. And he did, because he flew up to join Lancer in the air. After about ten minutes of ineffective single-sided combat (the ghost didn't fight back, but was too agile to be hit often), Lancer stopped in his efforts to push the ghost away from the city centre.

"Okay, hippie, I just want to talk. You got a name?"

"Name's Aster, man." The ghost leaned back in midair and put his arms behind his head. The amount of confidence this guy had was amazing.

"And what _exactly_ are you doing in Amity Park?"

"What's it look like, man? I'm chillin'."

_Right_, thought Lancer, _of _course_ you are. Because that's what _all_ ghosts in Amity Park do. _A slightly more mature part of him added, _And now it's official. I have _really _got to spend less time with my students. I'm starting to pick up their attitude._

Out loud he said, "Property damage is your form of 'chilling', is it? Could you maybe do something less destructive?"

"Hey, they didn't get hurt bad, man. Life needs a little excitement here and there. Otherwise we'd all give in to the Man."

"But playing chicken? I think you could..." Aster disappeared into a cloud of pink mist.

Lancer sighed and headed back to the library. At least he'd gotten a little information out of the guy. And now he had the energy to continue his research for a while longer too. If he could have at least _one_ name for Cathy tonight, he'd be happy.

---

A week later Lancer had found all but one person on the list and passed their information on. He'd also pulled a list of decent caterers out of the phonebook, and was supposed to e-mail it to Cathy, along with the names of several hotels that were willing to host people. Unfortunately, he hadn't even talked to the hotels yet, because Aster kept showing up at the worst possible moments and they still hadn't figured out a way to get him to stay still long enough to capture him. The Fentons were working on an anti-teleportation weapon, but they hadn't had any luck yet. Unfortunately, Lancer had promised the list by the end of the weekend, and that didn't look like it was going to happen. He was currently on the phone with Cathy apologizing for the delay.

"I'm sorry," Lancer said into the receiver, "I'll have the list for you soon. We had a big fight in school the other day and I've been dealing with discipline twenty-four seven, plus trying to mark a bunch of papers... Yes, I was able to cope in high school, but this is more work... If you don't teach, you can't possibly know what it's like... At least ten times as bad as parenting... No, I don't have kids... Okay, fine, pot calling the kettle black... I'll have the hotels ASAP. Have you managed to get in touch with those people?" He successfully managed to steer her away from the hotel rant, and they chatted for a while longer before his ghost sense went off.

"Look, Cathy," he said hastily, "I've got to go. There's someone at the door. I'll talk to you later. Bye." He hung up and transformed.

"Hey, man, no need to flip your wig like that. Relax."

Lancer whirled around. "_Planet of the Apes_, Aster, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be terrorizing the mall or something?" Aster shrugged nonchalantly.

"I got bored, Will baby. Thought I'd help you lighten up a little."

"I am light enough already, thank you," Lancer said stiffly. "But since you're here, I'd like to apologize for attacking you all last week. I realized this morning that you're only having fun and not hurting anyone. So do you accept my apology?"

As Aster was looking at him, stunned that he was actually being apologized to by a ghost hunter, Lancer opened up a portal back to the Ghost Zone behind him. Aster was sucked in before he even knew what had happened.

"That should buy me time," muttered Lancer, letting the portal close again. "I've got a feeling he'll be back, though." He reached for his wallet and keys and headed out the door. An Aster-free weekend was something to make the most of.

---

"Cathy? Hi, it's William. Did you get my e-mail?" He'd sent the list of caterers and hotels late Sunday night. "Good ... What phone call? ... Oh, _that_ phone call. I completely forgot. I'm sorry. I feel absolutely terrible... Not like me? _Watership Down, _Cathy, it's been thirty years. Can't a guy change? ... There's no need to worry... You're what? Cathy, I really don't think... To choose a caterer. Heheh. You're sure it's not to check on me? ... I'll be at the airport to pick you up, then. Wednesday at four?... See you soon."

Lancer hung up and groaned. _And one more thing to add to my worries. Cathy's coming in two days and I'm going to have to play host while she's here. This had better be an attack-free week. And I hope Aster stays gone too._

---

At 3:45 Wednesday afternoon William Lancer was engaged in battle with Ember McLain above the bandstand in Amity Park's park. Danny had caught her trying to sabotage the local band scheduled to perform there that night so she could get all the attention instead, and Lancer had come to help following a frantic call from Sam. By the time he got there, Danny was too beat up to do much, so Lancer had completely taken over. Half an hour later he finally managed to defeat the rocker with the help of a duplicate and collapsed behind a clump of bushes. He changed back to human and noticed his watch blearily.

_4:15_, he thought foggily._ There's something I'm supposed to be doing right now. Something about the reunion ... _He stood up painfully and supported himself with a tree. Then his eyes widened as he remembered.

Ender's Game_! Cathy's waiting for me at the airport!_

Without losing another moment, Lancer shouted, "_Ghost World_!", flew back to his car at top speed, and drove as fast as he could towards the airport. He ran inside and looked around for his friend. A middle-aged woman in loose green pants and a pale yellow blouse was standing next to a pile of luggage looking impatient and annoyed. Lancer would recognize that expression anywhere, even after three decades. He straightened his tie nervously, and approached her, trying to catch his breath as he did so.

"Cathy Martin? Sorry I'm late. Something came up at school."

"William Lancer?" The woman raised an inquisitive eyebrow and gave him a once-over, taking in his balding head, potbelly, and rumpled clothing. "Not _quite_ what I expected you to look like."

"Thanks," he remarked dryly. "You still know how to flatter a guy."

Cathy playfully flipped her hair and laughed. "Glad I've still got it after twenty-eight years of marriage and child-rearing. I was beginning to feel old."

"Aren't we all?" Lancer laughed. "I still can't believe it's been thirty years. God, what have I done with my life?"

The brunette punched him good-humoredly, a habit she'd apparently retained from high school.

"Hey, you're doing what you love. Think of all the kids you've impacted. Better than me. Cathy Martin, Realtor Extraordinaire!" She threw her hands up in the air as if to frame the title and laughed. Lancer did as well, and picked up the heaviest of Cathy's bags.

"Well, we'd better get going if you want to get to the hotel before dinner."

The two friends started walking towards the exit, laughing good-naturedly with each other. Lancer got her settled into her room at the Safe House, mentioned a few good restaurants within walking distance, and left her for the night. She should be fine, since Ember was the worst thing to happen to the town all week. Besides, Cathy had his number in case she needed anything, and she was surprisingly tough in a pinch.

_Remember, guys! I like reviews!_


	3. Changes

_Thanks Pterodactyl, Sasia93, and my anonymous reviewer. To anon: I'd really like to know your penname so I can answer that review like it deserves!_

**Chapter 3: Changes**

_I don't own Danny Phantom. I just kidnap the characters and force them to do my bidding. I think Lancer's enjoying it, actually..._

Lancer was supervising a history test the next morning when he caught a glimpse of a frazzled Cathy crossing the schoolyard. She probably wanted to talk to him about the reunion, and could wait in the office until class was over. He couldn't just _leave_ to be with her, not after running out to fight ghosts as well. That got him more than enough attention already. Slightly worried, but still calm, Lancer began to walk the aisles to prevent cheating and keep his mind off what Cathy wanted for the time being.

As Lancer turned back towards his desk at the end of his pacing, he caught sight of Cathy on the other side of the window in the classroom door. Obviously, this _couldn't_ wait until class was over. He glanced around the room to make sure that everyone was still behaving and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him worriedly.

The woman looked like she'd dressed in a hurry. Her hair was still mussed up from sleeping and it looked like she'd done her makeup in the car. She was also visibly shaking. Lancer knew from experience that Cathy generally took things in stride, so whatever had upset her must have been _completely_ out of the ordinary.

"Cathy? What's wrong?"

"My hotel's haunted," she said flatly. Lancer tried to look disbelieving even though it wasn't a leap of the imagination for a building to be haunted in Amity Park.

"I'm serious, William," Cathy continued sternly, keeping her composure as best she could. "I went into my bags this morning to get my shampoo and a big blue man flew out of them and shouted 'I am the Luggage Ghost.' I grabbed my things and ran. This_ isn't funny_, William. There's no way I'm going back into that room."

Lancer forcibly stopped laughing and placed a hand on Cathy's shoulder to calm her down. He looked her in the eye and said, "Cathy, it's fine. The ghost will be gone by now. They don't tend to stay in one place for very long around here."

"They?" Cathy repeated. _As in ghosts, _plural Lancer's face fell, as did his stomach, slightly.

"Oh, that's right, you don't know yet," he half-groaned. "The last couple years, Amity Park has become the official Ghost Capital of America. We get at least one or two major attacks a week."

"Attacks?"

_Brilliant, William. Try to calm her down and you end up scaring her more._

"Yes, attacks," Lancer admitted. "But we have a very competent team of ghost fighters who keep everything under control. You don't need to worry, and I doubt it's going to affect the reunion very much if at all. And as far as anyone can tell, that ghost you described is the most harmless one. If you'd like, I can contact a few of the hunters and have them check out the room for you." Cathy dropped her hand from where it had started playing with a strand of hair.

"I think I'd feel better if they did. Just to be sure."

"All right," Lancer said. "I'll phone them once class is over. I really need to get back in there. It's a test. You can wait in the office, if you'd like."

Cathy thought for a moment before answering, "I think I'll wander, thanks. See what's changed." Lancer nodded and went back into the classroom as soon as the woman was a little ways from him.

---

As Lancer was heading to the office to phone the Fentons between classes, he caught sight of their son, Danny, walking down the hall. Lancer had long since taken to memorizing the boy's timetable, since he had needed to know where Danny was _supposed_ to be to compare with where he actually _was_. And then once he'd allied with Danny as a ghostly superhero, knowing Danny's timetable meant that he knew when Danny would be taking care of the attack so he didn't have to himself. This knowledge was once again proving useful.

"Mr. Fenton?" he asked, catching the boy's shoulder in passing. "You have study hall at the moment, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Danny nodded. "Why?"

"I'd like you to do a little favour for me." He led Danny into an empty classroom. "A friend of mine is staying at the Safe House and tells me she was attacked by the Luggage Ghost this morning."

Danny burst out laughing. "The _what_? He hasn't... He didn't... Oh _gawd_."

Lancer's mouth twitched as well. "I promised her I'd send one of the resident ghost hunters to clear her room. I was going to ask your parents, but since I saw you, I was wondering... You'll make less mess. I'll excuse you."

"Okay." Danny nodded, his features set in hard lines uncommon to someone his age. "This shouldn't take long, since it's just Box Ghost again. He'll probably be long gone by now anyway."

Danny transformed quickly and left through the window. Lancer watched him fly off, then headed towards Danny's classroom to get him out of class legitimately. The teacher, Harvey, was all right with the idea of Danny "helping Lancer with some important work business," considering it was the vice-principal who was pulling him out of class. Lancer thanked him for understanding, and then headed off to find Cathy.

Lancer eventually found her waiting in the school office. He assured the woman that her hotel room would be ghost free within the hour and that she could safely go back to it, then sat down at his desk in the office once she'd left. A minute later Principal Ishiyama knocked on his door with a serious look on her face. Lancer looked up and met her gaze. This felt like bad news.

"William? Could I have a word?"

Definitely bad news.

"Of course, Beth. What is it?"

"Your behaviour's really starting to worry me," the short woman said as she crossed the room and rested a hip on his desk. "It seems like you're a completely different person these days. You're tired, late, absent, distracted, and not nearly as strict with the students as you used to be. I know you're working on the class reunion, and that's probably part of it, but this has been going on almost all _year_, William. I've overlooked it up till now, because I thought it really was just a phase and I half-believed that 'family problem' excuse, but I don't anymore. It's not like you to let your life influence your job like this." Lancer could sense where this conversation was going.

"What are you saying, Beth?" he asked, his voice quavering slightly. Ishiyama's features became sterner and Lancer felt for a brief moment like one of his students.

"I'm saying that the new Lancer isn't someone we need at this school, especially as a vice-principal. You're a role model for the students, after all. I have a school to run here, and need support, and as it stands you're not giving it to me. You have until the end of the school year to bring the old Lancer back, and if you don't, the school board and I are going to have no choice but to replace you." Lancer gulped and his voice came out higher than he had intended.

"You're going to let me go? B-but Beth, this school is my life."

The woman shook her head sadly. "No, William, I don't think it is. Not anymore. There's something else that's more important. Think of it as getting more time to do whatever it is you do these days."

"I'm never going to get another job at my age," Lancer pleaded, feeling panic rise in his chest. "You know I'm barely getting by as it is."

"Then you'll just have to shape up, won't you?" Ishiyama smiled wryly. "I'm sorry, William, but it has to be done." Lancer sighed and slumped in his chair.

"Okay, Beth, I understand. I'll do my best."

"Good. And good luck." The principal left and barely a moment later Lancer's ghost sense went off.

"Hey, man, you really got it bad, don'tcha? I tell ya, you've gotta learn to chill. Feel the love."

Lancer's head hit his desk, hard. Just when he'd thought his day couldn't get any worse, Aster had to find his way out of the Ghost Zone again. Great. Just _great._

---

_My muse live off reviews. If you want him for the next chapter, you need to feed him._


	4. Curiosity

_Sasia93, wfea, and Snickerer reviewed. More than three people read the last chapter. I'm confused…._

**Chapter 4: Curiosity**

_I don't own Danny Phantom, the Green Goblin, or Nancy Drew. Or the copyrighted material they come from._

Cathy Martin wandered around the Amity Park Mall contemplating all the things that had changed in her hometown. She hadn't been back here for twenty-six years, when she'd helped her parents move. A lot of things had changed of course (stores and houses, for example) but a lot of things hadn't, like the teenagers at the Nasty Burger, the people going about their daily lives, or the way classes were being taught at the school. But that was even more astounding when seen in the light of the situation in the town.

She hadn't believed William when he told her the entire town was severely haunted, but everywhere she went and everyone she talked to seemed to support his claim. There were definite signs of battle on most of the buildings, some unnervingly recent. The caterers she'd spoken with today had all but _bragged_ about being a part of some attack or other, and people she passed on the street were talking excitedly about the latest fight as if it was a televised sport.

That was actually what bothered her most as a mother of three. The residents of Amity Park were being far too nonchalant about all this. There should have been drills and personal protection and people looking nervously over their shoulders, not _pride_. Mind you, if she'd stayed here, she'd quite likely have the same mindset. She always seemed to take strange things like this in stride far too readily, starting with that sasquatch on her honeymoon.

The other thing Cathy couldn't believe was that two of the ghost hunters William had mentioned appeared to be ghosts themselves. The two of them, "Phantom" and "Spirit," were idolized by the entire town as if they were superheroes. They were _ghosts_, for heaven's sake. They were supposed to be evil, but everyone seemed to trust them completely, without even thinking otherwise. Did they have the entire town brainwashed?

She doubted, however, that brainwashing would have produced the gift store in the mall, which was filled with ghost memorabilia, most with what appeared to be Phantom's logo on it. Merchandise was always the work of some entrepreneur. Mind you, the idea of real-life superheroes, even if they were actually dead, was a little intriguing. And she would have to stop by that store before she left, because she had gained the reputation of someone who brought back weird gifts whenever they travelled. And what could be weirder than action figures based on real ghosts?

So maybe she didn't mind the ghost thing that much. It might even be cool to see one, from a distance. What really bothered Cathy was William. When she'd been friends with him in high school, he'd been studious and serious. Of course, she'd tried to get him to relax and have a bit of fun once in a while, but never with any success. She'd eventually given up and accepted his shell as a permanent fixture. But something _had_ broken through, and fairly recently too, if the discomfiture and fairly obvious lying meant anything. Cathy didn't think that growing up and having a demanding job could account for everything. William had simply changed too much since high school for that.

From her brief chat with the staff in the office while she'd been waiting for William earlier, Cathy had found out that over the last eight months or so he'd become irritable and distracted. He'd miss appointments and deadlines, and even disappear for hours at a time. He made excuses and seemed constantly nervous. He'd even gone missing for an entire day once without an explanation or a message to anyone about where he was going. Over the couple weeks that she'd been in contact with him, she'd noticed much the same thing, and he used to be so conscientious about things like that. William had even been half an hour late to pick her up yesterday, and the boy she used to know always came early "just in case." The man had actually been _laughing_ and _joking_ with her too, and that was not normal for him, even if he seemed comfortable doing so.

Everyone seemed to be worried about William, and in Cathy's opinion they were completely right to be. Something was definitely off, and it had to be a pretty big something for her to have noticed it over the phone without speaking to him for decades. The Something had grabbed her curiosity, and Cathy groaned inwardly, knowing that it wouldn't let go until she'd gotten to the bottom of the mystery.

_Just like Nancy Drew._

Her train of thought was distracted by a sudden burst of eerie laughter at the far end of the corridor. She looked towards it, nervously, and noticed that everyone between it and her was quickly moving into the closest shop. She followed suit, figuring the locals probably knew what they were doing. A small voice in the back of her mind said, _This is a ghost attack, isn't it?_

And it was. About thirty seconds later, a pink man dressed in bright colours flew past Cathy about eight feet off the ground, followed by a red figure who looked like a female Green Goblin, complete with hoverboard, shooting pink bursts of energy out of a gun on her shoulder. Cathy watched as she stashed the gun in mid-flight and smoothly pulled a smaller gun out of a holster. The girl put on a burst of speed and fired the gun, sending out a fuchsia rope that wrapped itself around the ghost and jerked him to a stop.

"I thought Spirit said he sent you back to the Ghost Zone, spook."

"It just wasn't groovy there. Can't stand the vibes, know what I mean? Bad karma."

"You want karma? I'll _give_ you karma." The bigger gun had reappeared and was starting to whir.

"Val! Stop! That doesn't do anything, remember?"

The Red Hunter looked in the direction of the voice, as did Cathy and most of the other spectators. A slight figure dressed in black and white was floating at the nearer end of the hallway. As Phantom moved closer, he spoke again, annoyed and amused.

"So Will was right. You _are_ back in town, Aster."

"Yeah, man," the hippie said, grinning. "Gotta get my kicks while I'm still young, dig?"

"Hate to tell you this, pal, but you're _dead_," Phantom stated. "And judging by your fashion sense, you've been dead for a while."

"Death is the beginning of a far-out journey, man," Aster replied. "Not that you'd really know, Phantom."

"I know all I need to, thanks," the younger ghost shot back. "Now, I don't care how you got out, but you're going back in, and this time I suggest you stay there." Phantom pulled a strap off his shoulder and started to uncap the ... thermos? ... on it. Aster looked at it nervously.

"I've heard about that thing, man," he quavered, "and you're never getting me in there." He began to glow slightly stronger and everyone watched in cautious fascination as the rope holding the ghost was absorbed into his body. Aster took off again and the two hunters flew after him. Someone walked up behind Cathy as everyone else began to go about their business again.

"Your first fight, ma'am?"

Cathy just nodded, too amazed to speak. Those ghosts hadn't looked like what she had expected. Almost normal, except for the colours, really. And the illustrious Phantom seemed to be only about fifteen. That was surprising too. His action figure looked older.

"It's hard to believe we used to think Phantom was one of the bad guys," continued the voice.

"What?" Cathy turned to look at the saleswoman behind her. "All I've heard since I got here is how much of a hero he is."

"I know," the saleswoman sighed. "Everyone seems to have forgotten that when Phantom first showed up, all we ever saw was the damage the fights caused and the 'crimes' he committed. But then Spirit came along about six months ago, started fighting alongside Phantom, and then people started noticing that they weren't actually fighting _with_ the other ghosts, they were fighting _against_ them. They really became heroes when they saved those high school students last winter."

_So people _did _think they were evil. _Cathy smiled slightly in amusement._ Maybe this town isn't as crazy as I thought it was. What am I saying? It wouldn't be good ol' Amity Park if it wasn't crazy. I remember all that talk of a lake monster when I was a girl..._

"Nice to know there's protection," Cathy said out loud, then checked her watch. "I'd better get going. I'm meeting a friend for dinner and don't want to be late." She sighed, and added silently, _Let's just hope William isn't. _

---

Meanwhile, Danny and Valerie had taken the fight with Aster outside. They were pretty much powerless against him since he seemed just to absorb ectoblasts, and he moved too quickly to be captured in a Fenton Thermos. Finally Valerie gave voice to her irritation.

"Aaaarrgh! You stupid hippie. Can't you just leave us alone?" She incinerated a nearby tree. Then, to Danny's surprise, the ghost whirled around and yelled back.

"Well, if you guys hadn't attacked me at the water slides, maybe I would. Ever think of that? And you're pretty sorry excuses for ghost hunters too!"

Aster vanished in a cloud of pink smoke, leaving Danny and Valerie gaping at the space he had occupied. After the shock of the ghost's outburst had worn off, Danny managed to ask, "What the _heck_ was that about?"

_--_

_Anyone care to answer Danny's question?_


	5. Assurance

_Thanks to Pterodactyl, Jennie, Snickerer, wfea, YumeTakato, and Sasia93!_

**Chapter 5: Assurance**

_I don't own Danny Phantom. But it owns me._

Lancer was luckily on time for his dinner with Cathy, who'd played the "I don't know anyone else in Amity Park anymore" card at the school that morning. However, he arrived looking harried and distant. It took Cathy ten minutes to get him to relax enough to be able to concentrate on the menu and hold a half-decent conversation. Something was obviously severely bothering him, but Cathy could tell it would take her best cajoling before she coaxed it out of him. By the time their food arrived half an hour later, she'd finally gotten him to open up.

"Fine," Lancer said sullenly, "I'll tell you if you promise not to dig too deeply into this."

"Okay." Cathy nodded and cocked her head slightly. "Take everything at face value. Got it. Shoot."

Lancer toyed with his fork for a moment before he spoke again.

"I've been busy with other things lately, stuff that I don't really want public, and it's started to affect my work."

Cathy's interest peaked again in surprise. What he really going to tell her what was going on after all the secrecy?

"I've ended up missing a lot of school and my performance has dropped a lot," Lancer explained, noting his companion's more intense expression. "After you left today, I got a visit from my principal. She said if I don't start doing better again by the end of the year, bring the 'old Lancer' back, I'm going to lose my job."

Cathy stopped eating and she got a sour feeling in her stomach.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "William, that's terrible."

"That's not the worst of it," sighed Lancer dejectedly. "This other thing, I can't _not_ do it. And I can't bring the old me back because I've changed too much to even want to."

_So he's noticed that too, then, _Cathy thought, with a faint smile._ And he likes the changes. Good. So do I, even if they _are_ strange. He always did need to lighten up about things._

"So what are you going to do? Or is it even too soon to be asking that?" Cathy winced. _I'm still really bad at the comforting thing, aren't I? God, I hope that didn't upset him._

"Too soon." Lancer chuckled slightly. _She still speaks before thinking, I see._ "This whole thing's got me wondering. Maybe I shouldn't be at the school anymore. Do I really want to keep teaching for ten years, or do I want to move on and do something else? What happened to my life, Cathy?" He rested his elbows on the table, holding his hands halfway to his shoulders pleadingly. Cathy set her knife and fork down and looked at her friend, hard.

"William, you always wanted to teach. You're good at it, from what I heard in the office today." Cathy reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I don't want to push you in one direction or another, especially since we've been out of touch for so long, but I think you need to look at what's going to make you the most happy in the long run. Maybe there's some way to compromise? If you really want to keep your job, do your best to be the fussy, serious man everyone knows and loves." She realized where her hand was and withdrew it hastily, as did Lancer his.

"I suppose. I just don't know what I want anymore." Lancer started shifting his food around on his plate. Cathy speared a piece of chicken.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that, William," she said slowly. "I don't know you well enough. But I'm betting there's someone else you can talk to about this, who knows you better these days. Go talk to them."

"There really isn't ... no, there's _him_, but..." Lancer stopped, realizing he'd come uncomfortably close to saying something he shouldn't, and hoping Cathy wouldn't press for more details on the identity of "him."

"So go talk to him." She placed the chicken in her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Sooo, I heard a lot more about the town ghosts today. Even got to see a fight at the mall before I came here. And I heard that Spirit and Phantom saved some of your students at one point."

"Umm ... yes, they did. It was my English class, actually. I was there." _Nice change of subject, Cathy. Still a little too close for comfort though._

"You were _there_!? Wow, umm... I'll understand if you don't ..."

"It's fine, Cathy." Lancer smiled reassuringly. "I've gone through this at least a hundred times already. It wasn't all that traumatic or anything. Just scary to think what might have happened if ... _they_ hadn't arrived."

"Wanna go into it once more then?" Cathy was intrigued. Her friend had actually been part of an attack! Then her internal censor kicked in with, _You're starting to become a ghost fan too, Cathy. Watch out. _

Lancer set his cutlery down. He wasn't going to get to use it for a while, knowing Cathy.

"Well, there's this one ghost who kidnaps people periodically," he began, "I think for the challenge of it. He abducted my class and took us to the Ghost Zone. That's this weird alternate dimension where ghosts belong. We were being auctioned off when Phantom and Spirit found us and got us back to this world safely. The ghosts didn't even _try_ to hurt us, so we got back unscathed."

"Mmm," Cathy said thoughtfully. She felt like she ought to say something comforting, but her love of the weird was trying to override her sympathy. She settled for something she hoped was neutral. "Must have been at least somewhat interesting to have been there, gotten to see the heroes that close." Lancer nodded, but almost as an afterthought.

"You sure you don't want to tell me what this Thing you're doing is?" Cathy asked then.

"Positive, Cathy. Need to know basis."

Her mouth quirked. "Like government work? FBI?"

"You could say that..." Lancer busied himself with his food.

"But I'd be wrong." Cathy sighed quietly to herself. If Lancer didn't want to do or say something, he wasn't going to. She'd learned that lesson repeatedly in high school. Apparently, he'd retained _that_ habit.

They continued chatting throughout their meal, and Cathy tried to casually bring up the Thing several more times, but Lancer kept evading the issue. He kept drifting off into thought about his job problems as well, and Cathy did her best to draw him out of the funk and cheer him up. Eventually, Cathy paid the bill ("Wouldn't hear of it otherwise, William, especially tonight"), and he drove her back to the Safe House. A while later, Cathy happened to look out the window of her room and caught sight of a blue figure high up in the sky.

_That must be Spirit, out keeping watch._ She sighed wistfully._ I wonder if I'll get to see him closer?_

---

Lancer parked his car in front of his apartment building and took to the air. He found that he did some of his best thinking up there, partly because the wind and the clouds soothed him like little else could. And tonight he craved that feeling of inner peace. His conversation with Beth had brought up a lot of the self-doubt, worry, and fear that had been growing inside him for the last few months, and he was being forced to question his beliefs and his values.

_Once a man hits forty, he shouldn't have to worry about this sort of thing any more_, he complained to himself._ The big decisions were supposed to be over _years_ ago. _

He couldn't give up ghost hunting even if he wanted to. Spirit had become too public for that. He needed his day job, though, and he liked doing it too, although it _had_ started to become a chore lately, as he became more and more tired. Fighting as Will Spirit gave him a sense of purpose and giving up teaching maybe _was_ the way to go, but he was still torn. Being Spirit didn't pay, after all. And like he'd told Cathy, he'd changed too much to go back to the way he had been, now that he'd learned how to actually _live_. Acting like the Lancer of a year ago, if he could even pull it off, would be torture, because he'd have to repress so much of himself.

Cathy was right. He needed to talk about this with someone who'd understand. Danny and his friends were out because they were too young to understand the full repercussions of the decisions he needed to make, and Jack and Maddie were out because they didn't have secret identities and had never had to make a choice like this. They were friends, of course, but they weren't close to him. Lancer really only had one close friend, and while he'd never had to deal with the exact problems Lancer did, he'd been through similar things during his lifetime and had a comparable outlook on life as well.

Lancer opened up a portal to the Ghost Zone. He was going to pay his friend a visit tonight.


	6. Support

_Thanks to egyptianqueen777, Snickerer, YumeTakato, wfea, and Jennie, who all reviewed. _

**Chapter 6: Support**

Ic ne habbe _Danny Phantom_.

Will Spirit reflected on the nature of his friendship on his way through the Ghost Zone. It was the oddest relationship he'd ever formed, but somehow it just seemed right, and it was comfortable to know that he was actually capable of making a true friend. He'd begun to doubt it.

When Vlad Plasmius had gotten Skulker to kidnap his English class and auction them off to ghosts, this ghost had bought him, seeming to sense a kindred spirit. Like any good superhero, Lancer had promptly gone off to rescue everyone, Danny included, but he'd felt guilty afterwards, since the ghost seemed like a nice guy and had trusted him, if however briefly. Lancer had sought him out several days later, once he was out of the hospital, to apologize, and they had gotten talking.

It turned out that they shared a lot of things: their love of literature, their desire for order and proper behaviour, their drive to do the right thing, their cynicism, and their brand of humour. He'd quickly become the person Lancer turned to whenever things got to be too much for him, especially after Lancer's kidnapping several months ago, and Lancer had made it a habit to visit him at least once a week, since his friend got few visitors otherwise. And whenever the ghost started missing his life, Lancer was always ready to listen too. If they'd both been human, the relationship would have been normal enough, but the fact that one of them had been dead for over two hundred years, well, that was ... _different_.

By the time Spirit touched down on the front steps of the Ghost Writer's floating mansion, he'd managed to solidify exactly what his concerns were. There was no sense in showing up unprepared, after all. He knocked, and a moment later the door swung open and the figure who'd opened it examined him.

"William?" he asked. "Life got you down again? Come on in."

The tall pale ghost floated into the nearby parlour and moved a kettle over the fire. Lancer followed.

The Ghost Writer had done his home out in full Regency style, not surprising given his age. The parlour, for instance, was spacious and warm, with detailed artwork on the walls instead of paint or paper, and there was a selection of sofas and chairs to choose from. The Ghost Writer spread himself out on a deep green couch and looked over at Lancer, who'd seated himself in a high-backed armchair.

"You're looking worse than normal, William," the ghost said, concerned. "What's happened? You haven't been exposed, have you?"

"No. But I'm worried I might be close." The Ghost Writer shifted into a more alert position in response to that.

"I'm about to lose my job because I'm spending too much time as Spirit," Lancer explained. "My boss is starting to notice all the changes that have taken place and she's not liking any of them."

"I suppose Spirit can't just cut back his appearances, can he?"

"Not without me going crazy." Lancer rested his head in cupped hands. "It's my duty to the town to be there, even if there are people who could take over. I _have_ to be Spirit. I need to be, for them _and_ for me. Beth wants me to go back to the way I was too, and I can't make myself do it. I guess it's ironic that I have to half _die_ to learn how to _live_, but now that it's happened ..."

"There's no going back. I understand, William. I've been there. Everyone will have, at some point." The Ghost Writer paused, thoughtful, and look at Lancer inquisitively. "Your job isn't the only thing worrying you, though, is it?" Lancer sighed.

"No. My graduating class is having a reunion in a few weeks and it's hit me just how old I am and how little I seem to have done with my life. I love teaching, you know that, but it just seems so _little_ compared to the dreams I had. I feel like I'm trapped in my life."

"Sounds like you're going through a mid-life crisis."

"I know. And add to that the job problem... I can't afford to lose that job, Writer. I still need to live a human life, and I need the basic commodities. Besides, it's what I've always done. I can't change it without people starting to wonder."

"Not true, William. From what I've heard, a lot of people go through the exact same thing, and many of them change jobs. You're not going to stand out if you do quit teaching. Besides, I hate to say this, but if you lose your job, and it's quite likely you will..."

Lancer nodded sadly in agreement. He was pretty sure teaching was a lost cause now.

"...you'll have to get another job anyway."

"But there's nothing I can do!" Lancer protested. "Teaching's the only thing I know."

"Again, not true," Writer argued. "You're practically an expert on ghosts and I know for a fact you're good with your hands. I'm sure there are a lot of jobs these days that need people who really know how to write as well. You could even write that novel you keep talking about."

"But I ..."

"Look, William, do you really even want to keep teaching, deep down? I doubt you do, because then you'd be willing to make as much of an effort as possible. Maybe it's better that you just finish the year and try to come up with something else during the summer."

"All right," admitted Lancer, "it's something to think about, anyway."

The Ghost Writer got off the couch to retrieve a china teapot from a glass cabinet and poured the now-boiling water from the kettle into it. Lancer watched as he added tea leaves and opened a can of biscuits. That was always the signal for more relaxed conversation.

Lancer leaned in and grabbed a cookie, but winced and clutched his head as he moved back into his seat. Writer stopped in the middle of fetching teacups.

"William? Are you alright?"

When Lancer answered, he spoke louder than he'd intended, and with a panicked undertone of denial.

"I'm fine. I think. I'm, I'm _fine_."

The Ghost Writer sat down opposite him again and set the cups down.

"No, you're not," he declared sympathetically. "It's another of those visions, isn't it? What was it this time?"

"I was fighting a ghost, on the field at school. I think there might have been people." Lancer groaned. "That's the third time this week. They're becoming more frequent, Writer. I don't know what's going on."

The Ghost Writer thought for a moment while examining the halfa across from him. "Well, let's try being rational about it and see if we can't figure it out. How long has this been happening?"

"I don't know. Seven, eight months? Since September."

"About the time you got your powers then," Writer said thoughtfully. Lancer shook his head.

"No. It doesn't feel like a power, and now that I think of it, I think I started getting these premonitions before I even fell into the Portal. It _can't_ be a power, then."

"Hm." The Ghost Writer checked the teapot, and poured out two cups. "What about ESP? Could just be a Second Sight of some sort."

"You think I'm _psychic_?" laughed Lancer. "There's no valid proof that even _exists_!"

"Right. And you used to say the same about ghosts," Writer shot back. "Look, it fits the fact, doesn't it? And there are enough people out there who claim it, there's got to be some basis."

"I'm almost _fifty_," Lancer pointed out. "Wouldn't this have surfaced before?"

"It might have. You've mentioned having a sense for trouble before. Maybe it's just matured to the point where you're actually starting to see the future," the ghost suggested, "or maybe it's the ghost powers that account for most of it. All these visions seem to have to do with turning points in your life as a ghost, really. The auction, the kidnapping, a few of the bigger fights, now this one..."

"And the accident," Lancer said in a low voice. If Lancer's skin wasn't pure white at the moment, he would have paled. The Ghost Writer blinked at him. He'd never heard _that_ before.

"I had a recurring nightmare as a child," Lancer explained, taking up his teacup unsteadily. "I was in a tunnel, I couldn't move, I couldn't see, then there was a flash of green light and I woke up screaming. I was terrified of the colour green for _years_. I enjoyed the ones where I was flying though..." He trailed off into thought and a soft smile appeared on his face. It disappeared suddenly when he realized that implications of _that_, and he drained his teacup quickly to steady himself. He slumped forward, and the Ghost Writer took his empty cup from him gently.

"This has been going on all my life and I never knew it," Lancer groaned. "I wonder how much else I've seen and never realized..."

"I wouldn't dwell on it," Writer told him reassuringly. "Concentrate on what you're getting now, try to figure out what it tells you, and move on." He refilled Lancer's cup and pushed it back to him.

"That could be any fight, any time..." Lancer sighed.

"But somehow pivotal..."

"But somehow pivotal...," Lancer repeated. "I haven't seen enough to know what, though. This isn't _helpful_."

"Maybe it'll come to you," his friend suggested. "Give it time." He took a cookie off the plate between them, and slid the rest towards Lancer, who took one and dunked it in his tea. The two of them sat and ate in silence for a while before the Ghost Writer spoke again.

"So, how's Danny these days?" He'd had been interested in the teen's welfare since last year's Christmas, when he'd apparently taken over Danny's Christmas Eve to teach the boy a lesson about holiday spirit. Through rhyme, of course. When Lancer had first heard that story, it had explained a lot about the ghostly activity of that night. He knew that Danny wasn't powerful enough to pull it off himself, even if it seemed obviously his fault at the time.

"Danny's doing well," he told his friend. "His grades have improved dramatically and his parents are being incredibly supportive, of course. He's certainly a lot less stressed out than he was last year." _All he needed was a proper support network. Easy as that._

"No major ghost problems lately?" Writer asked again.

"Actually, yes. There's this new ghost who's been around for a few weeks now, and we have no idea how to defeat him. He absorbs ectoenergy, so we haven't really been able to weaken him."

"What's he doing?"

"I'm not sure if there's a pattern. He's shown up all over the place and has even provoked us a few times. And he always seems to enjoy the encounters, almost like he's seeking them out purposefully."

"Maybe he is. A lot of ghosts try to relive strong moments in the living world so that they can try to forget that they're dead for a while. It's especially true for ghosts who really loved life. They just can't let go." The Ghost Writer filled the teacups again.

"That makes sense," said Lancer, grabbing his cup and sipping. "This ghost was a hippie. He'd definitely want to keep enjoying life."

"A hippie? I don't think I've heard the term before."

Lancer was puzzled by the statement for a moment, before realizing that the Ghost Writer, though well read, hadn't been on Earth for the twentieth century and probably wouldn't have access to any publication that mentioned hippies yet. Books took a while to filter into the Ghost Zone, especially with Walker in charge.

Lancer explained to his friend what a hippie was and that lead them into a discussion of religion and philosophy that lasted for two hours before Lancer yawned and excused himself. He really needed to be heading home if he wanted to be alert at all for the next day. At least it was the weekend, so he could sleep in a little, hopefully. He said his goodbyes and the Ghost Writer gave him one last little reassurance that everything would turn out well, and then Lancer flew home.

---

Lancer spent most of his Saturday working, although he had to stop around lunchtime to try to deal with Aster. This time the hippie had been hanging around the skateboard park near Lancer's apartment. Lancer hadn't noticed he was there until he'd heard screams. Aster had scared some poor kid away from his board, and was now trying out some of the jumps himself.

Lancer stormed into the park as a human, because he couldn't be bothered to change if the ghost form wouldn't actually accomplish anything. The moment he got close enough for some of the stricken kids to notice him, the ghost panicked and fled, which struck Lancer as odd, since Aster couldn't actually get hurt and so had nothing to fear from him. Lancer spent a while trying to calm down the skaters, many of whom he taught, and then headed home to what would otherwise remain an uneventful day.

---

Cathy Martin left Amity Park for California on Sunday afternoon, and William Lancer drove her to the airport. There were still a few weeks until the reunion, and Cathy had homes to show before then. She turned to look at the balding teacher.

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, William, call me if you need anything. You're going to get through this, and everything's going to turn out fine. Trust me. By the time I fly back here with Matt for the final preparations, it'll have sorted itself out." She sounded like she truly cared about him. That would be a first, Lancer realized. He always seemed to be the person people passed over and never paid a second thought to.

"I hope so, Cathy. I think I know basically what I'm going to do, it's just the details that are bothering me now."

"Okay. Still..."

"I will. If I need to."

A voice over the PA system announced that the flight was boarding. Cathy shouldered her carryon.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll be back in a few weeks, so don't miss me too much."

Lancer grinned. "I won't. Thanks for your help. I hope you sell that mansion."

"It's not a mansion," Cathy stated matter-of-factly. "It's only got ten bedrooms."

Lancer looked at her disbelievingly. Cathy gave a small laugh.

"Okay, not a mansion by California standards."

She gave him a quick hug and walked over to the boarding gate, where she turned again and waved. And then she was gone.


	7. Ideas

_Many thanks to Pterodactyl, YumeTakato, Jennie, FantomoDrako, egyptianqueen777, Coronadofwb, and Snickerer for the seriously awesome reviews and everything. Keep those reviews coming. _

**Chapter 7: Ideas**

_I own Danny Phantom in an alternate universe. The one 35° out of phase with our world, not this one. Oh, and I'm using the word "emotion" in a pretty loose sense here. Basically, I take it to mean any sort of intense feeling that is brought up or created by events, thoughts, memories, etc., so it includes paranoia, wistfulness, and boredom as well as the more standard stuff like anger and love, and everything in between. _

Aster lay on the shores of Amity Lake, gazing up at the sky and toying with his peace sign necklace. It was a clear night and the entire Milky Way was blazing. It was times like these when he wished that he could turn off the permanent glow that surrounded him, so that he could enjoy nature better.

The hippie ghost was confused. In his last two encounters with the local ghost hunters, he'd experienced an intensity that seemed both familiar and foreign, and which caused him to do things he knew he otherwise wouldn't. He'd fled one of the halfas, Will Spirit, yesterday, during the second episode, and the man had been in his i _human_ /i form. Aster shouldn't have felt threatened at all.

What could possibly have caused it? He didn't have intense feelings. Aster knew this as fact, because the lack of them had been the biggest shock upon waking up dead. He'd spent the last thirty-five years trying to shock his senses into recreating them, doing stunt after stunt in an attempt to bring them back. And apart from those two times, he still had that hollow feeling, so he was pretty sure his emotions hadn't come back yet. Based on his now vague memories of life, what he'd felt _had_ been emotions, though, or something close to them. So what was going on?

Aster tried to reconstruct the scenarios in his mind, to the utmost detail. In the fight with Phantom and the girl, he'd been enjoying the game of dodging everything they were throwing at him. They had been getting more and more frustrated with him for evading capture and finally the girl had yelled at him in anger. Aster concentrated harder. There'd been a surge, similar to what he felt whenever an ectoblast hit him, and then he'd basically lost his mind. The next thing he clearly remembered was reappearing in midair halfway to the next town, feeling drained.

In the second episode, Spirit had shown up and the boys Aster had scared off had become agitated upon seeing him. Then Aster had felt that surge again, and was seized with a desire to be as far away as possible. This time, he'd made it i _all_ /i the way into the next town. The two events couldn't have been related. The scenarios were just too different. — Wait. Wasn't Spirit also a teacher?

It clicked. i _Those kids were afraid of him. And suddenly I was afraid too. And before that, I was feeling that girl's anger. I _am _feeling emotions, but only when I'm around strong ones. Why?_ /i 

The amulet. It i _had_ i to be the amulet.

Aster had found his necklace in a pawnshop in the Ghost Zone, and had originally gotten it to try to retain his memories of Earth. That hadn't worked, but he'd soon discovered that the necklace gave him the ability to simply absorb ectoblasts without pain or physical damage. Considering how many times Aster had run into ghosts in that first year and how he didn't have any powers apart from the basic invisibility, intangibility, and flight (oh, yes, and teleportation, of course), this was a great discovery. Later he had found that it let him absorb any sort of ectoenergy, store it, and blast it out

If the amulet were actually absorbing other stuff too, like emotions, that would explain things. But this could also be a power that he'd never noticed before, because this was the first time he'd ventured back into the human realm. He'd place his money on the amulet theory, since he knew his powers were basically nonexistent, but now he needed to test it. Aster smiled, shut his eyes, and started planning.

---

The new and improved version of Team Phantom was completely and utterly exhausted. On top of all the regular paranormal activity in the town, Aster had been sighted at least twice each day for the last two weeks, and he seemed to have changed his behaviour again. Now, as soon as he noticed anyone with an ectoweapon or ghost powers, he would teleport away immediately, not even sticking around for a fight. That meant that the ghost fighters would show up with all their paraphernalia and then have to leave again within five minutes.

It wasn't the fights that were exhausting. It was the constant dashing around.

Team Phantom's members were now draped over the furniture and floor in the Fenton's living room, trying to pool their knowledge to solve the Aster problem. Jazz pulled several sheets of paper from the inside cover of her latest recreational textbook and passed them around.

"What is this, Jazz?" asked Sam as she accepted the pile from her, took a sheet, and passed the stack of pages to Maddie.

"I put this chart together last night. It's a list of every sighting since the beginning, and a description of what went on. I thought we might be able to find a pattern if we had all the data in front of us."

"Good thinking, Jazz." Maddie examined her copy. "Well, we already know he's been seen in every major building and landmark in town. No pattern there."

"Wait a minute...," said Danny. "Anyone got a pen or something?"

Lancer tossed one over to him and Danny began circling some of the dates. Hoping for a breakthrough, everyone else watched him intently. Finally Danny held the pen above his head in a flourish.

"There!"

"What?"

"He's been seen the most at school, the movies, and the fair."

"So?" Sam didn't see the significance. "He's trying to relive his childhood?"

"No." Lancer had remembered something. "He's trying to i _live_ /i . Ghost Writer told me a few weeks ago that ghosts who loved living often can't let go. I bet Aster's trying to bring those feelings back any way he can."

"So why the sudden change in behaviour? At first he was seeking out fights, and now he's avoiding them. Ghosts don't normally change their patterns like that." Maddie tapped her paper thoughtfully.

"Maybe he hasn't changed," suggested Jazz. "Maybe those fights at the beginning were an attempt to live through physical challenge, but now he's found something else that works better. He's a hippie, remember. He won't fight unless he feels he has to."

"So what's this 'better thing'? If we can figure out how to exploit it, we might stand a chance against him." By this point, Lancer was determined to bring Aster down as soon as possible. It was only a week and a half until the reunion, after all, and he wanted it to go smoothly after all the work he and Cathy had put in.

"Well, we've noticed that he's been getting emotional lately, all sorts of different ones," said Sam. "Maybe he's found some way to drag emotions out of other people. If I were trying to get my feelings back, I'd say that stealing them from others, even for a while, would be a pretty good thing."

"He's sucking in emotions? Like he sucks in those ectoblasts?" Tucker looked up from his PDA for the first time. "Does that mean that if he gets enough emotions in him at the same time, he'll have to let them off like that blast thing?"

"Maybe ..." Lancer hesitated. It was an intriguing idea.

"That could be dangerous, though," Danny pointed out. "Aster's unpredictable even with one emotion. What's he going to do with more?"

"Well, whatever we do, we'd better do it fast," Val chipped in. "Aster's starting to make the Team look bad. We're going to lose credibility if we don't stop him."

"So what do we do?"

"Well, if he really is going for emotions," Lancer said, "we could try to satisfy him. Expose him to as many as possible. Then maybe he'll go away."

"Are you suggesting we help out a ghost?" Jack Fenton was skeptical, still operating on the belief that all ghosts were evil, except for his son and his son's teacher. But they didn't really count anyway, because they were only _half_-ghost.

"Basically. We've got to deal with him somehow and our standard techniques don't work."

"Okay," Danny said. "We'll try it. Everyone start naming emotions."

Jazz began to write on a notepad, and it wasn't long until they had formed a plan.

**---**

Just before his last period English class on Friday, three days after the Meeting To Get Rid of Aster Once And For All, William Lancer sensed the presence of a ghost in his classroom. He ignored it and began to write on the blackboard. After a while, the bell rang to end third period and the hallways were again filled with familiar shouts and bangs. A tear came to Lancer's eye as he heard them. He was going to miss Casper.

The first teenagers soon began to trickle into his room. Lancer watched out of the corner of his eye as they took their seats, laughing and chatting. Danny and his friends walked in and Lancer scratched the back of his head. Danny nodded, and took his seat.

The bell rang again to begin the class, and Lancer turned from the board just in time to see Nathan O'Leary on the floor beside Valerie Gray's desk holding out a bouquet of flowers. He'd heard Valerie complaining several times to Danny, Sam, and Tucker about the boy, and felt a wave of sympathy for both Val and Nathan. He'd gone through something very similar in high school and shuddered at the memories. He pushed the thoughts aside and spoke in the dry, stern tone he'd started the school year with.

"All right, everyone, I hope you all remember your Shakespeare, because we're going to have a test. The standard rules and regulations apply, so everything must be off your desk and if I so much as see your eyes off your paper, that will earn you an automatic zero." The class groaned. Lancer hadn't done this to them for months. They had hoped he'd stopped completely.

"You will have the entire class period to write this test," their teacher continued, "and you'll need it because this test may well make up a large portion of your grade for this course." More groans followed, and a lot of worried glances.

"In the real world, which you all will be entering someday whether you want to or not, you will be expected to remember information you haven't used in years. I see no reason why this class should be any different." Lancer smiled inwardly. This was going better than he'd hoped. "You may begin as soon as I hand you the test paper. Good luck. You'll need it."

Soon everyone was furiously trying to remember the entire "Tomorrow" soliloquy from i _Macbeth_ /i and sending Lancer, sitting nonchalantly behind his desk reading, his fair share of angry glares. About half the class were beside themselves with nervousness as well. And, as he'd expected, Dash was hunched over his test paper, his tongue unconsciously curling around his upper lip. Lancer reflected for a moment that it was really cruel to scare them like this, but it needed to be done and wouldn't actually hurt them. Lancer just hoped it was all worth it. His eyes returned to the novel in his hands.

Lancer had two-thirds of the tests in a neat stack on his desk when the moment he (and Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie) had been waiting for all class occurred. Aster appeared in the front corner of the classroom, in front of the door, looking strained.

i _Good_ /i , Lancer thought, pleased. i _It's working_. /i 

Paulina was the first to notice Aster. She shrieked and dug her nails into Dash. That sparked a panic that resulted in everyone being pressed into the corner of the room farthest from the hippie, who was looking more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment. Under his breath, Danny began chanting, "Come on, come on, come on..." and Lancer crossed his fingers. This i _had_ /i to work.

Suddenly Aster began glowing brightly and a massive sheet of light left his body, heading straight for the clump of students. It hit them full on and the entire room was thrown into chaos. Students were crying, laughing, screaming, fighting, hugging, and cowering. Some of them were trying to do all that at once. Even the two halfas in the room were affected.

The effects of Aster's explosion wore off a few minutes later, by which point Aster had vanished again. Lancer and Danny made just enough time to exchanged look and try to make themselves presentable before the door to the classroom flew open.

"Mr. Lancer! What in God's name is going on in here?"

"Honestly, Principal Ishiyama," Lancer said with the straight face he'd cultivated over his years of teaching, "I have no idea. I was supervising a test and next thing I knew we were all like this. I don't know what came over us."

"Hey!" piped up Tucker. "Do you think it might have been a ghost?"

Elizabeth Ishiyama shot another distrustful glance at Lancer and left the room, questioning the truth implanted in her mind. That man was treading on thin ice these days.

---

Aster teleported into Spirit's classroom and hung there invisibly. He was hoping for a fight or a taunting session, because he was in the mood for one, but the teacher didn't even seem to notice him as he went about his preparations for the next class. Aster was disappointed and slightly confused. The man was usually so predictable.

Not one to let an opportunity go to waste, Aster hovered by the door and soaked up the anxiousness and relief that was being emitted by the students in the neighbouring classrooms. After his midnight contemplation, he'd found that he could only absorb particularly strong emotions, or massive amounts of any given one. He'd also learned that, if prepared, he could retain a lot of feelings before having to release them. Then he'd started seeking out places where he could get strong doses emotion quickly, for maximum effect. Casper High School was one of his favourites, because teenage hormones ran so high and there was an incredible amount of pressure being put on the students. The Establishment was really laying it on thick these days. Hadn't the hippie movement had any effect on society? Aster was sure it should have.

The bell rang and Aster tensed as the levels of relief suddenly spiked. Aster stayed in the room as Lancer's students entered and ticked off the emotions he felt as they washed past him.

i _Pride_ /i . A pretty hispanic girl walked into the room.

i _Desire_ /i . A nondescript boy followed her.

i _Admiration_ /i . A spotty brunette shuffled in behind several cheerleaders.

i _Longing. Disgust_. _Embarrassment._ /i A chubby boy was offering flowers to a brown-skinned girl who Aster realized was the Red Hunter who'd first give him anger.

i _Sympathy_ /i . Now where had _that_ come from?

i _Disgust again_ /i . The list went on.

Spirit's harsh monotone disrupted Aster's list making. Why couldn't that man see that his life was too stressful?

i _You'd think with the number of times I've told him to chill, he'd get it by now._ /i A strong feeling of dread pervaded him, followed by nervousness and fear. i _Ah, Spirit just assigned them a test. I _love_ tests! And he still isn't doing anything to get rid of me, and neither is Phantom. I wonder if they've given up?_ /i 

Aster stayed in the room the entire class, getting more and more full of nervousness, desperation, anger, and frustration. Throughout the period, Lancer kept sending out waves of calm satisfaction, which helped to balance the negative emotions Aster was absorbing. By the time most of the students had finished the exam, Aster was full to bursting and was having a difficult time keeping himself invisible. One more student stood up and walked over to Lancer's desk, and the thankfulness they were exuding pushed him over the edge. Aster turned visible, and several moments later the hispanic girl who had given him such pride earlier screamed. Then fear and panic hit him full strength and Aster reeled, trying to hold it all in. Greed for emotions after being deprived of them for so long outweighed common sense by this point.

Finally Aster couldn't hold it all in anymore and was forced to let everything go in a blast. The place descended into madness and Aster fled before he had to see the consequences of his action. Violence never sat with him well.

---

Aster reappeared above Amity Lake and dove towards the island in its center. It was the only place where he could be certain of peace and quiet at this time of day. He always needed to mentally recharge after absorbing so many emotions and today had been particularly draining.

A few minutes later, Aster had laid himself comfortably on his stomach and was staring at ants trickle into an anthill. Watching repetitive activity allowed his mind to think of other things without distraction. In this case, Aster was trying to figure out why Spirit and Phantom had suddenly changed their behaviour towards him. In the month or so that he'd known them, they'd never hesitated in attacking him without much regard to their own covers. And suddenly today they had ignored him. Part of the reason he'd never absorbed so many emotions before was because he'd never had the chance to. They'd allowed him to have that chance.

i _They'd allowed him to have that chance_ /i Why? So they could see what he would do? They must have anticipated his reaction from what he did with ectoenergy. To see how he would react mentally? To get him to lose his cool and show weakness? Possibly. To them he must seem pretty unstoppable. No wonder they were always so frustrated with him. But how could seeing how he'd react to so many emotions help them fight him? Especially since they already knew pretty much how he'd react.

That left one more option. They'd figured out he was looking for emotions and let him get his fill of them in the hopes that he'd be satisfied and leave. If that were true, they were trying to help him, which would explain Spirit's lack of reaction today. Still, it _was_ out of character. From what Aster had seen of them, though, this last option was the only one that could possibly fit the facts. So why had they stopped attacking? It couldn't be because his speeches about peace and love had worn off on them. They weren't the type. So ...

i _Because I'm unbeatable when I'm wearing the amulet. Even Phantom's Wail barely fazes me. They've stopped because there's nothing they can do and it's cutting into their other lives to keep chasing me._ /i That thought hit Aster hard. i _They have lives, and I'm getting in the way. I'm creating stress and tension for them, and they feel they need to fight me to get rid of it. I'm against all that. I never intended this to happen. I don't _want_ it to happen. I've got to stop it. This has got to end now._ /i 

i _A deal. I make them a deal or a truce or something, and then maybe I can resolve this. They'll listen to reason if I promise not to fight. Not that I can, of course._ /i 

Aster floated up off the ground and righted himself. He knew what sort of deal he had to make. If he had to leave Amity Park, it was definitely going to be worth it.

---

Aster flew through the streets and buildings of Amity Park, sometimes literally, until he caught sight of the antennae and dome that signalled FentonWorks from the air. He descended through the floors of the building until he reached the basement. Fortunately for him, today happened to be an experiment day, and Danny and Lancer were both hooked up to machines. The Fenton adults were standing around looking at gauges and making measurements, and Sam and Tucker were sitting on the steps, chatting with the two halfas. They stood up as the test subjects stiffened in response to Aster's entrance and began looking around.

"Peace," began Aster as he faded into view on a countertop. "I know what you were trying today and I know why. I'll go, I'll leave you alone, but I want a favour first."

"You'll i _go_ /i ?" asked Danny, shocked. " i _Willingly_ /i ?"

"If I get my favour."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't lie." Aster sounded completely serious.

"So what's this favour?" asked Lancer. "We've got to know what we're getting into before we make a truce with you."

"Of course." Aster grinned. "I want a day, a i _full_ /i day, of emotions. As much and as many as possible."

"Something to remember, in other words." Maddie looked at Aster curiously. He wasn't acting normally. If he weren't already a ghost, she'd say he was possessed. By someone more mature and intelligent.

"Yes. Plan as much as you want, but let me know when and where for everything. I don't want to waste a moment."

"Why are you so interested in emotions, anyway?" Lancer asked. From what he'd seen, ghosts didn't tend to obsess about human stuff like that. They were more for violence and power, with a little world domination on the side. And he didn't feel like the "living" theory really cut it either.

"I'm not a powerful ghost," Aster explained. "I don't have enough substance to have emotions. I've been dead for thirty-five years and didn't feel a thing until I came here. I missed feelings, and when I found out I could absorb them, well ... it was a natural reaction."

"Wait a sec. If you're weak, why can't we hurt you?" Danny had reverted back to his basic operating mode. He was confused.

"Yeah, and what do you call that blast thing?" added Tucker.

"That's all because of this." Aster held up his necklace. "I found it a while ago in the Ghost Zone. There's a spell on it that lets me absorb ectoenergy, and apparently emotions as well. The blasts are how I release everything."

"So, if we do this favour for you," asked Maddie, "are you going to be blasting emotions everywhere all day long? We don't want a mess to deal with."

"Neither do I," Aster told her. "I'll leave whenever I get overloaded and discharge somewhere safe. I promise. I'll make it as easy as possible for you. I'll even help plan."

"You're serious."

"I'm serious."

"Okay, we'll ... ow!" Danny glared at Lancer, who glared back.

"We don't want to be rushing into this." Lancer turned to Aster. "Can you come back here in, say, an hour? We'll have a decision for you then."

Aster reluctantly agreed, though judging by the looks of relief on everyone's faces, it was already pretty much decided.


	8. Breeze

_Thanks to YumeTakato, Snickerer, egyptianqueen777, Jennie, Vathara, and wfea._

**Chapter 8: Breeze**

_Danny Phantom doesn't belong to me. It belongs to Butch Hartman instead._

_The Day of the Triffids belongs to John Wyndham and I really _don't_ want to own it. _

_The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_ _also does not belong to me. I have no clue who actually has the rights to that stuff these days, but I'm pretty sure it's not me._

_And a word of advice before I get started: keep in mind what everyone's feeling throughout the climax, because that's the point, after all. Otherwise, it's just going to feel kind of blasé (I think)._

Danny's ghost sense woke him up half an hour before his alarm. He groaned and rolled over. Through his half-open eyes he saw a mix of blinding pink and yellow. He screamed and propelled himself backwards, landing in a heap of blankets on his floor.

"Hey, sorry, man..." The quilt flew off the floor and dropped onto the bed.

"Aster?" asked Danny blearily. "What are you doing here? It's not even seven yet..."

"Couldn't wait any longer. I've been up since dawn, man."

_Right_, thought Danny, _today's the big day. He's sure eager._

"You shoulda seen your face, Danny. Priceless."

"I bet. Think you could leave me alone for another half hour?"

"No can do, man." Aster grinned. "I don't want to waste a minute!"

"Then go say good morning to my parents while I get dressed," Danny groaned. "No, cancel that. Say good morning to Jazz."

Aster looked slightly put out, but phased himself through the wall into the neighbouring room anyway. As Danny was pulling his shirt over his head, his sudden inspiration was rewarded with another scream. He struggled to pull on his pants in preparation for what he knew would come.

"Daniel Fenton! What was the idea of sending _him_ into my room at this time in the morning?" Danny's sister was standing in the doorway with a thumb jerked back at Aster, who was doubled over laughing behind her. "Just wait till I get my hands on you..." Jazz lunged at her brother. Danny went intangible and she fell through him.

"Relax, Jazz. It's Emotion Day. Just giving Aster what he came for." Danny grinned down at his sister.

"Fine! But if you ever do that again..."

"You'll have to catch me first."

"I'm as trained in ghost hunting as the rest of the family. Just be warned." And with that, Jazz left the room. Danny turned to Aster.

"So, want to see what my parents are up to?"

Aster nodded keenly, Danny went ghost, and they both dropped through the floorboards and the entire first floor of the house.

Once in the lab, Danny shouted, "Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad!" The two adult Fentons jumped at the interruption and Danny's father swung the weapon he was working on towards the noise instinctively. When he noticed who he was aiming at, he lowered it quickly and awkwardly and slid it onto the counter again.

"Aster came early," Danny explained.

"I see," said his mother, lifting her facemask. "Well, your father and I are almost finished here, so I'll be up to make breakfast soon. Go and wait, and try to stay out of trouble."

"No prob, Mrs. F. Don't sweat it." Aster flew back up through the ceiling and Danny followed a few moments later to find Aster already stretched out lackadaisically on the living room couch.

"Man, you know, you're lucky. They don't have pads like this in the Ghost Zone."

"Really?" Danny asked. "What's behind your door, then?"

"Flowers, nature, stuff like that. I like it, man, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you just really want a couch, know what I mean?" Danny didn't, but he nodded anyway.

"What about other ghosts, then?" he asked the pink ghost. "Don't you have friends?"

"In the Ghost Zone? Are you kidding? There's no one there who's into that peace and love jazz, man." Aster sighed and became serious for a moment. "Frankly, I think they find me annoying, for the most part."

_Wonder why_, thought Danny, while he forced himself to say, "No way!" Then he added, "So what do they think of the Box Ghost then?"

"Don't even get me _started_. He keeps telling me I need more square things. Man-made stuff's not my bag, man. He just doesn't get it."

"I know what you mean. I send him to the Ghost Zone every other day and he keeps coming back. You'd think 746 captures would discourage him... Not that I'm counting or anything."

At that moment there was a burst of gleeful laughter from downstairs. Aster, ever on the lookout for emotions, phased himself back into the lab. Danny, less ecstatic about whatever it was than either the hippie or his father, took the stairs.

"Um, Dad?"

"Danny! It's finished! The Fenton Ecto-Coater is finished!"

"And would that explain why there are five beakers floating near the ceiling?"

"Of course! The Ecto-Coater covers things in ectoenergy and gives them ghost powers! You can choose what and how long with this little dial thingy here, see, Danny? Think of all the things we can do with this!"

Danny examined the device and raised an eyebrow. "You know, Dad, that might actually be useful at some point," he remarked.

"What might?" asked a girl's voice from the base of the stairs.

Jack Fenton whirled around, pointing the Ecto-Coater at the source of the voice. As always, he did it slightly too fast and pulled the trigger. A blast of glowing goop flew out of the nozzle and landed on the top of Jazz Fenton's head. As this was a fairly regular occurrence in the household, the standard routine fell into place.

"Dad!" screamed Jazz.

"Sorry, Jazzypants!" yelled her father.

"Here," said Danny, throwing her a towel.

"Jack! Again?" asked Maddie.

"What is it going to do to her/me?" asked the non-Jack members of the family, in unison.

"Well, let's see. I didn't switch the dial from hovering and it's still set at ten minutes, so..."

"So I'm going to be stuck up here with Aster for the next ten minutes." Jazz didn't sound impressed as she wiped ectogoo off her face while floating near the beakers. Her dad nodded, looking embarrassed, and her mom and brother were looking sympathetic.

"Hey, Jazz, chill out. It's not every day you get to fly."

"_Thanks_, Aster. Mind pushing me upstairs?"

---

By the time Jazz fell onto the middle of the kitchen table ten minutes later, Maddie Fenton had managed to cook a few rashers of non-glowing bacon and boil some eggs for her family. Since it was the last day of school, she felt that she had to at least try to make it special for the family. Besides, the more she could do today that would generate emotions for Aster, the better. The hippie had already flown up to the Op Center to discharge, so the day had had a promising start.

After Jazz had cleaned herself up again and both children had eaten, Jack Fenton drove them and Aster to school for the day. Maddie joined them, since there would be an awards ceremony that morning to honour the students who'd done well during the year. Jazz, as always, was up for most of the awards, and the parents were coming to be supportive. Plus it meant that Aster would get to enjoy all the terror that resulted from Jack Fenton's driving.

Once at the school, Jack, Maddie, and Jazz went to the gym to help Lancer with the preparations and Danny headed to his locker, Aster following invisibly, and met up with Tucker and Sam. He gave them a thumbs-up to let them know that Aster was with him, and they waved to where they thought he was.

"Ugh, look, Star, Goth Geek and Tech Nerd are waving at the air. Freaks." Paulina, dressed in another of her trademark tight outfits, walked by, Star beside her. They both laughed at the trio apparently making fools of themselves in the middle of the hallway. If it had been quieter or less crowded, the two cheerleaders might have heard a disembodied voice near the "freaks."

"Ooh, nice. Pride, with a tinge of envy..."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Aster, do we _need_ a running commentary on the emotion readout? 'Cause that gets old, fast."

"_Envy_, Aster?" Danny asked incredulously. "Paulina envies _us_?" _I thought she hated us, me especially_.

"Sweet! Think that could improve my chances?" asked Tucker perkily.

"No," three different bored voices intoned.

"You guys have real friendships," Aster continued, answering Danny's question, "and you don't care what people think of you. She's the opposite."

"You can tell that from her emotions?" asked Danny.

"No. I can tell that by looking at you and her. It's pretty obvious." Aster sounded smug.

"C'mon, guys, we don't want to be late for the last day." Tucker grabbed Danny's arm and pulled slightly. The two humans, the halfa, and the ghost moved off to their first class, Health. Outside the door, Danny stopped.

"Guys, I'm going to be late. Go in without me. You too, Aster."

"Danny!" Sam hissed. "Testlaff's going to flip if you're ... oh. Right. See ya!"

Danny waited invisibly in the hall for a full five minutes outside the classroom. Figuring he'd stayed long enough, he turned visible again and stepped into the room looking furtive.

"Hi, sorry I'm late, don't really have an excuse, please don't give me detention, it's the last day of school," he muttered as he made a beeline for his desk.

"DETENTION?" the large teacher yelled. "Fenton, you've been late for this class every week this year! And you've skipped it more times than I can remember. So you'll get detention and then some. Maybe if you give up your weekends this summer, it'll teach you to give school the respect it deserves!"

Ms. Testlaff had turned bright red. Danny cringed, actually somewhat afraid. He knew that Lancer would probably excuse him when he showed up in detention that afternoon, but Testlaff's temper was volcanic. When her tirade was finished, Danny sat down, relieved, and Sam and Tucker gave him the thumbs up.

"We almost thought you were going to skip completely," whispered Tucker. "She's been lecturing us about sum-..."

"I know. I was standing outside the door, remember?" There was a hiss and brief static crackle as the school's PA system turned on. Then Lancer's tenor blared out into every hallway and classroom.

"All teachers, please bring your students to the auditorium for the awards ceremony. I repeat, all teachers and students to the auditorium."

There was a massive scraping of chairs as everyone fought to leave the classroom at once. In the chaos, Sam muttered, "See you there, Aster." The cold that had been surrounding them lifted.

Testlaff got her students seated in the middle of the auditorium and stood on the sidelines, arms folded and glaring. Half the seats in the room had been reserved for parents, and they were already filled. Their children sat in various positions of preparatory boredom in the rest of the seats. They knew what was coming wouldn't be fun.

Principal Ishiyama stepped up to the podium and began her opening address.

"As we come to the end of another school year at Casper High, I would like to take the time to reflect on the highlights of the year. The Casper Ravens made it to the finals of the State Championships, thanks to Dash Baxter who scored the winning touchdown in the semi-finals. A student at our school, Jazz Fenton, placed in the top five percent of all-time SAT scores, though this will come as a surprise to few. Mikey Davis and his team of science students took home the State Science Trophy for their design of a locker that is both more spacious _and_ bullyproof. We will be installing a bank of these over the summer in further recognition of their work." She flipped to the next note card.

"This year also had its share of difficulties. There was an increased number of ghost attacks on the school, especially in the second half of the year, but since this corresponded with Will Spirit's appearance in Amity Park, we have been able to continue school regularly. I need not remind anyone here of the kidnapping that took place several months ago, either. We have also had to deal with the standard disciplinary issues of high school life and the trials and tribulations of getting funding from the school board, but that is not to be unexpected." She moved the last card to the front of her stack.

"The end of the school year is a time of celebration for teachers and students. This morning we will be honouring the high achievers and exceptional students of Casper High, but we will also be bidding farewell to many, including our own vice-principal, Mr. Lancer, who is moving on to better things." She looked up at the audience, and smirked. "I can see from the expressions of the students that I've talked long enough, so I would like to call up Mr. Faluka to present the math and science awards."

The short, graying teacher took the microphone and began to speak. Half an hour later, the top students in all the relevant subjects in each grade had been rewarded. Mikey got everything for Danny's grade except for the Computer Science award, which went to Tucker. Jazz took Grade 12 biology and chemistry. There was also a special trophy for Mikey and his science geeks.

Lancer took the stage then to present the humanities awards. Sam received a gift certificate at the Skulk and Lurk for being the top English 10 student, and Danny got Most Improved. Jazz, who was graduating, received a special plaque for her self-guided psychological research, since Casper didn't have a course in psychology. The rest of the awards went to people Danny didn't know, so he drifted off. He awoke at a sudden pain in his left arm.

"Danny!" the goth beside him whispered. "They're saying goodbye to Lancer. You might want to be awake for this."

"Thanks, Sam," he replied groggily. "Wha'd I miss?"

"Athletic awards, citizenship awards, top students, honour roll, work habits .."

"So pretty much everything."

"Yup!" beamed Tucker. "You were lucky!"

Danny turned his attention up to the stage, where Ishiyama was standing with an uncomfortable looking Lancer, the rest of the staff in a line behind them.

"As I said in my opening address," the principal said, "and as many of you already know, Mr. Lancer is retiring from teaching this year. He claims it's because he has been offered another job with the city, but I think he's doing it because English literature has finally driven him crazy." That got a wave of polite laughter from the audience.

"As of next September," the principal continued, "Mr. Lancer will be heading the educational division of the Ghost Education and Information Support Team which Mayor Burns has created to deal with the continuing ghost problems of our beautiful city. I am sure that he will do wonderfully in the role. Still, we will certainly miss him here at Casper High School, where he taught for twenty-five years."

Mr. Sanders and Mrs. Kraus, the shop and home-ec teachers, stepped forward and lifted a package off the table that had held the many awards of the morning. They brought it up to Ishiyama and Lancer.

"As a sign of our enduring thanks and well wishes," the principal said, taking the gift from the two teachers, "the staff and I have chipped in to give Mr. Lancer a little something to remember us by."

Lancer accepted the package and stood there looking dazed for a moment before realizing that everyone was waiting expectantly for him to open it. He did so, and stared at the gift in disbelief.

"_Day of the Triffids!_" he exclaimed. "_The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_! Annotated, the possible plays, full historical background, original spellings, leather binding ... This must have cost a fortune! Really, I'm not worth it." He made a show of giving the book back, but the teachers on stage forced it back onto him.

"After all you've done..." "... been a driving force..." "A mentor..." "... longer than I have..." "You deserve it."

The audience applauded and Lancer had the grace to bow awkwardly for them. That was the final section of the ceremony, so Ishiyama gave a quick concluding speech and let everyone go early for lunch. Danny narrowly managed to avoid the embarrassment of his parents in the mayhem that followed as everyone was scrambling for an exit and either chatting with their parents or desperately trying to escape them. Jazz wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, Jazzypants!" yelled Jack, scooping his daughter up in a bear hug, "all those awards ... we always knew you took after your mother! Shame there wasn't one for ghost hunting, though..."

"Dad, you say this _every year_," wheezed Jazz. "And ghost hunting isn't a course."

"Not yet," the large man boomed, "but just wait till Lancer starts his new job!"

"We're so proud, honey. Here, we'll take these back to the RV for you." Maddie Fenton started picking up the plaques and trophies that had been squeezed out of Jazz's arms by Jack's greeting. After a moment, she straightened and looked into her daughter's eyes.

"We'd better get on patrol so you can enjoy the rest of your day," she stated. "_Please_ keep an eye on the others. I'm worried they might get into deep trouble with a prank or something."

"Of _course_, Mom. Bye!" Jazz waved back at her parents as she left the auditorium.

---

Aster hung above Casper High grinning wildly. He'd just released the emotions of the awards ceremony for the third time. The morning had poured a glorious jumble of feelings into his body. Pride, hope, disappointment, confidence, sadness, melancholy, shame, embarrassment, joy, respect, apprehension, and a mix of other feelings he couldn't name. So much sentiment in so short a time was overwhelming. Holding Emotion Day today had been a truly inspired idea (Spirit's, if he remembered correctly). And the day wasn't even half over yet.

Aster turned and flew into the school cafeteria, becoming invisible as he did so. This was going to be way too much fun.


	9. Gusting

_Thanks to Snickerer, egyptianqueen777, Pterodactyl, YumeTakato, FantomoDrako, and coronadofwb. Keep those reviews coming! _

**Chapter 9: Gusting**

_The chaos continues... _

_I don't own Danny Phantom or Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead_.

"Hey, Fen-toque! Guess what?"

Danny, heading towards the cafeteria lineup, rolled his eyes. "_What_, Dash? I thought you got MVP."

"I did," the jock confessed. "But I didn't get Honour Roll. Besides," he shoved Danny against the cafeteria wall, "I'm visiting my aunt this summer and I want to give you something to remember me by."

"Oh, no, Dash, don't hurt me." Danny's voice came out in a monotone that the bully completely failed to pick up.

Dash pushed Danny into a few tables and Danny pretended to be dazed and injured so that people wouldn't get suspicious of him. The rest of the A-list crowded around Dash at the end of the "fight," laughing and congratulating him on a job well done.

Danny picked himself up and shook his head slightly to clear it. The stunned expression on his face after that last throw hadn't been entirely an act. Sam and Tucker came over to help him, but he shook them off.

"Guys, we all know I've had worse. I'm fine. Let's just get our food, okay?"

They turned just in time to see Dash heading towards "his" table with a full tray of food. Just as he was passing Paulina, the boy's foot seemed to catch on something, even though there was nothing there. Because he was shouting to Kwan, who'd just entered the caf, he wasn't paying attention, so the sudden instability of his body caught him off-guard. The tray flew up as Dash headed down, bashing his chin on the floor.

The entire cafeteria burst into laughter at the sight of the school bully and star athlete being humiliated by something so simple. A low growl stopped them as suddenly as the faceplant had started them.

Paulina was standing rigidly with a look of rage on the visible parts of her face. Dash's tray had hit her square on and food was all over her hair, face, and fleecy tee. Dash had just enough time to pick himself off the floor and pinpoint the source of the growl before she attacked. A few of Paulina's posse managed to pull her off him fairly quickly, fortunately, but not before a food fight had started.

To add to the chaos he'd caused by tripping Dash, Aster opened up the dessert cabinet and pulled tray after tray out and onto the floor. Valerie, who was nearby, caught on then, and threw a slice of cheesecake straight at Danny.

"Think fast, Fenton!" she yelled. The slice of cake splatted onto his shoulder.

"Hey! Nobody throws baked animal products in my direction and gets away with it! You're going down, Val!" Sam launched herself forward and tackled the African-American girl. Rolling over, she spotted a melon ball hovering suspiciously over a floating fruit cup.

"I bet a ghost could cause a lot of trouble in here if he appeared right now," she announced slyly.

"When I'm done with this fruit cup," came the lazy reply. The melon ball shot forward and bounced off a nearby head. A quick volley of them followed. Aster even managed to get a wedge of watermelon into Dash's mouth.

"How'd you learn to aim that good?" asked Valerie in astonishment.

"Thirty-five years with nothing to do gives you some pretty wild skills," said the air. The fruit cup drifted to the floor, empty, just before the cafeteria doors burst open.

"_Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead_! Can't _anyone_ behave on my last day?"

Lancer's form loomed in the doorway and everyone stopped dead. Aster chose that moment to appear above the teacher and carry the man up to the ceiling. Lancer gave a little start at the sudden movement, then realized what was happening.

"Oh. Aaaaah! A ghost! Someone save me!"

That stirred everyone out of their shock and got them running to the doors (but not too quickly, because this ghost was kind of cool).

"Put the teacher down, hippie!" Danny Phantom yelled as he appeared from underneath an upturned table and flew up to face Aster. "There's no need for hostages. Just let him go, nice and simple, and I might even let you leave peacefully. I'm feeling nice today."

"Easy, Phantom. No harm meant." Aster winked at Danny. "Just trying to liven up this place. The Establishment's running wild in here."

"Just set him down, Aster," Danny said in a annoyed voice.

The hippie ghost let go and teleported away. Lancer fell two feet before Danny caught him.

"That wasn't planned, was it?" Lancer muttered.

"Neither was the food fight." Danny said quietly as he set his friend back on solid ground, then put on his "hero voice." "Well, I'm going to catch up with that ghost. See you all around!"

As Danny left through the ceiling, Lancer centered himself, then snapped out an in-character question.

"Okay. Who started this?"

"Dash?" "Paulina?" "The ghost?" "Umm... I don't know?"

"I didn't ask for Twenty Questions. I want an answer."

"Sir?" asked Sam, trying to prevent anyone from having detention on the last day of school even if Lancer was obviously just playing along. "It really was that ghost. He tripped Dash and made his tray go flying. Then everyone started just throwing food around. He pulled those desserts out too." She pointed. Lancer raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Ms. Manson, do you expect me to believe that a ghost tripped this year's MVP in a cafeteria lineup?"

"No, sir. But it's the truth."

"Who agrees with her?" Everyone in the cafeteria raised their hand. Lancer sighed dramatically. "All right. Since Phantom is chasing that ghost and I don't want to give half the school detention on the last day, I'm going to pretend this didn't happen, okay?"

The announcement was greeted with cheers, and Lancer left the dining area as everyone settled back into their routines. A minute or so later, at the "loser table," Tucker caught a glimpse of something in Sam's backpack.

"Hey, Sam, what's _that_?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, meat boy." Sam pushed the object further into her bag. She looked up at her friend and smirked at his discomfort. He'd seen just enough to know that it was some piece of expensive technology he wasn't familiar with. She'd let him stew for a while. It would be good for Aster.

Valerie took her usual seat beside Tucker and looked at him curiously. "Hey, Sam, what's with him?"

"Nothing. He just saw something in my bag."

"P...D...A..." murmured Tucker, eyes glazed over.

"Ah." Valerie rolled her eyes. Danny returned to the room then.

"He's spending the rest of lunch in the teacher's lounge. We figured it would be the best place right now. You okay, Tuck?"

"P...D...A..."

Danny looked at Sam in surprise. "You actually went through with that?"

Sam busied herself with her salad in response.

The group spent lunch planning for the summer and mocking some of the award winners from that morning, then headed to their classes in good spirits. Well, everyone except Tucker, who remained in his trance until the end of lunch, when Sam had to show him the PDA in her bag before they could even get him to move to their next class. His eyes shot wide when he saw it.

"That's a Hirosaki XR57A! They're releasing those in Japan next week! Did you know it's got five weeks of battery life? It can run advanced simulations in a second and link to any computer within a mile. I bet I could even get it to track ghosts for us!" He paused and glared at Sam. "This isn't a trick again, is it?"

"Not the kind you're thinking of." Sam stashed the PDA away. "You don't get another look until the end of school."

"Lemme at her..." The technogeek had to be forcibly restrained by the rest of his friends as Sam waltzed off.

"Tucker, calm down. She's doing it for Aster." Danny slowly released his hold on Tucker's arms.

"Why does _he_ need a PDA?"

Danny simply rolled his eyes at his friend's ignorance and headed off to his locker. He phased his arm into it to grab his books, then left for class. Tucker moved in the direction of the computer lab, looking as if he was going to brag all class about getting to see the newest PDA yet. Aster was going to stay with Lancer for the next few hours, since the man was exuding a range of bittersweet emotions and was bidding tearful goodbyes to most of the staff. This meant that the teenagers would be able to sit in their classes without having to goof off to entertain a ghost.

Not that they weren't going to goof off anyway, of course. Or that they would be the only ones.

---

A paper airplane sailed lazily through the air and past Mr. Faluka's head. The science teacher turned away from the chalkboard and scanned the classroom for the telltale innocence of the culprit.

"Mr. Kim," he said wearily, "I realize that today is the last day of school before summer and that you can probably think of ten places you'd rather be right now, but that is no excuse for misbehaviour." Faluka looked down at the airplane on the floor, picked it up, and frowned. "Or shoddy workmanship. All right, everyone get out a piece of paper. Since I can't stop airplanes in my classroom, I might as well teach you how to make them so they can actually hit their targets."

The class exchanged glances with each other. Faluka's tangents were always fun, and very welcome today.

Half an hour later the class had perfected the art of the paper airplane and were cleaning up the evidence from the floor. The bell rang, and before everyone could file out, Faluka's voice cut across the noise.

"Have a good summer, everyone! And don't tell anyone it was me."

Danny and Sam had different classes for the next period, so they parted ways at Danny's locker. There was no sign of Tucker, which probably meant he was still bragging to someone.

The rest of the school day passed slowly, although the feeling of lethargy was periodically interrupted by paper airplanes and people quietly showing Faluka's technique to their friends. Danny got back to his locker and was just beginning to feel the weight of the school year lifting off his shoulders when he heard a whiny voice he didn't want to hear for the second time that day.

"Hey, Fen-turnip! I don't appreciate being tripped."

"H-hey, Dash, that wasn't me. It was that hippie ghost!"

"Maybe, but I saw _you_ first!" Dash picked Danny up by his shirt and made a move to shove him into his locker, but was interrupted by a voice everyone in town knew spelled chaos.

"Ghost!" Jack Fenton boomed as he jumped around the corner in full fighting stance and waved a gun around in the middle of the hallway. "Everybody run for your lives!"

The announcement caused the desired reaction and students began to run to wherever they thought they would be safest. Dash growled at Danny that he'd catch up with him later and joined in the commotion. Principal Ishiyama hurried towards Jack from the direction of the library.

"Mr. Fenton! I don't care if you're a professional ghost hunter or not. Get out of my school this instant."

"But there's a ghost! I swear. The sensors in the GAV picked one up!"

"Nonsense. The school's ghost alarm hasn't gone off all day, and your wife assured me it was working just yesterday."

_Yes, but Lancer disconnects it every morning when you aren't looking_, remarked Danny, silently. _Dad's just staging this, like we planned. Which means Aster's around here somewhere... _Sure enough, Danny gasped blue mist at that moment.

"Honestly, Mr. Fenton, if you're really as incompetent as you seem, maybe you should consider some other career." Ishiyama crossed her arms and glared up at the burly man, who reddened.

"I am completely competent! That's me, the completely competent Jack Fenton! I can take any ghost I see!"

"Ah, yes, but how many have you _seen_?" the short woman shot back. "I get the impression that Phantom and Spirit deal with most of them before you even get there."

"I've seen my fair share, thank you," Jack said heatedly. "And they are no match for the completely competent Jack Fenton!" Danny's ghost sense went off again.

"Aster? That you?" he muttered.

"BEWARE!"

_Oh no_.

"See? GHOST!" Jack began firing wildly, missing the Box Ghost entirely, who flew off down the hallway, the orange-suited man in hot pursuit.

Danny finished emptying his locker and took off after his dad. When he was sure the coast was clear, he went ghost in the middle of the hallway. He turned another corner at the same time as there was a muted rumble ahead of him. The Box Ghost had apparently phased into the janitor's closet and Jack had yanked open the door to follow him. The sudden motion had dislodged a pile of boxes that had been left there and they had cascaded down onto him. All that Danny could make out once the dust cleared was an orange leg. The Box Ghost flew out of the closet again.

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware my cardboard terror!"

"Save it, Boxy!" Danny fired an ectoblast at him and sucked him into his Thermos while the blue ghost was still dazed. He flew down and transformed again just as the boxes exploded outward. Jack Fenton primed his gun again, looking alert and angry.

"Got him, Dad." Danny waved the Thermos. Jack relaxed.

"Good work, son. How does he keep getting out?"

"One of the world's unfathomable mysteries, man. I can't stand that guy either." Aster popped back into visibility. "Loved the indignation, Jackie. That one's rare."

Jack looked taken aback and before he could do anything he would regret later, Danny stepped between the two males.

"Hey! Aster!" he said brightly, "I think it's time for you to come with me and the guys for a while. Sam's working on some nice emotions for you over at the Nasty Burger."

That got Aster's interest. The Nasty Burger was a good place for emotions, even if it wasn't his favourite, and he knew enough about Sam to know that whatever she was doing would be very interesting.

"You're on! Your girlfriend's awesome, man." Aster took off through the wall laughing. Danny went ghost and followed him.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

---

And we're now halfway through the climax, folks! How'm I doing with it? 


	10. Whirlwind

_Thanks to Snickerer, wfea, egyptianqueen777, and YumeTakato for the reviews. _

**Chapter 10: Whirlwind**

_**Warning: may contain traces of shipping.**_

_I don't own Danny Phantom_ _or Coca Cola. I do own the Hirosaki PDA, though. And since this is still the climax, remember to think about emotions at every turn. _

"Come on, Sam! I know it's in your bag. Just one more look, please!"

"No, Tucker. It's my PDA and I don't want you zoning out on us. We need to keep Aster happy, remember?"

"I can do that _with_ a PDA."

"No, you can't. So you can't have it. Danny! Over here!" Sam waved at the black-haired boy who had just walked in to the Nasty Burger. He came over to the table and plunked himself down opposite her.

"Is Aster with you?" asked Tucker, hoping the answer was no so he could have another try for Sam's PDA.

"Ugh! Would you get your arm off me!" Sam yelled, hitting the air beside her. "Stupid hippie..."

"I resent that," said a laid-back voice from the vicinity of Sam's wailing fists.

"I'd take that as a yes," said Tucker. "Hey, Aster, would you mind if..."

"Don't even _try_, Tucker, or you're next," growled Sam.

"Okay, backing off... So how come you're late, Danny?"

"Had to rescue Dad from the Box Ghost."

Sam choked on her soda. Tucker's face went blank with surprise, then he burst out laughing, as did Aster. It really wasn't all that hard to picture Jack Fenton having trouble with Amity Park's biggest pest.

"Hey, guys. Mind if I join you? I'm on break," asked Valerie, standing over their table with a tray of food, which she held out. "I brought your order."

"We haven't ordered yet," said Sam pointedly. "We were waiting for Danny."

"Yeah. But you always have the same thing. Give me the money when you're done and it's all good." She slid into the seat next to Sam.

"Um, Val, Aster was there first," Danny said nervously. She froze and was on the verge of apologizing when she was cut off by a disembodied voice.

"Chill, Red. I moved after Sam started attacking me. I'm on the table now."

"You're on the table?!" exclaimed Tucker. "I am so getting my food off there."

"Relax, Tuck. It's not like Aster's dripping ectoplasm or anything. Your meat should be as 'healthy' as ever." Sam glared over at him, then turned to Valerie. "So, are we still on for Operation Nasty, Val?"

"Yep. Irving's off today, at some manager's training thing. Sue's covering for him, and I've cleared it with her."

"What did you tell her?" asked Danny.

"I'm doing a project on reactions to bad service, and want firsthand data." Everyone nodded.

"Sue thinks it's a great way to get back at Irving for docking everyone's wages last week, so she's actually recruited all the girls to help out."

"Sweet!" Tucker said. "You hear that, Aster?"

"No. I'm only sitting in front of her."

"Oooh, touchy, aren't we?" asked Sam dryly.

"Not _my_ fault Tucker's on edge right now. I'm only projecting what he's feeling." Aster sounded smug, but tense.

"Yeah! I'm on edge because of that PD..."

"Not a chance. You'd have to eat vegetables first."

"Sam," warned Danny, "that's too much to ask, even if it's state-of-the-art."

"And not even released in Japan yet!" wailed Tucker.

"O-kay," said Valerie. "Since Tucker's got a one-track mind and my break's over anyway, I'm leaving. Get ready." She gave a thumbs-up sign to a red-haired girl behind the counter, who then disappeared into the kitchen. Valerie went behind the counter, tied her apron on again, and opened up her till. She had a customer a moment later.

"Welcome to Nasty Burger," she chirped dully. "What can I get you today, sir?"

"A Double Nasty with cheese and a strawberry shake."

"Okay, two Nasty Meals and a diet Coke." Valerie punched in the order, then smiled at the customer. "Anything else?"

"I said a Double Nasty with cheese and a strawberry shake."

"Oh, sorry, sir, two Nasty Meals, a diet Coke, a Double Nasty with cheese, and a strawberry shake." She punched the order in again.

"I never ordered a Nasty Meal or a Coke!"

Valerie apologized again and punched in the correct order before the customer got too angry. Then she moved on to the next customer, and things in the restaurant began to get crazy. In addition to punching in the wrong orders, the girls behind the counter managed to spill pop on customers (and, in one particularly inspired moment, their food as well), give customers the wrong food, accidentally put Nasty Salsa on everything, and burn the fries to a crisp twice.

Over the next hour, Aster kept making gleeful comments about the emotions rolling through him, and the three teenagers did their best to ignore him. After the hour was over, the teens had to head home for dinner. As they walked along, they talked excitedly about their favourite events of the afternoon.

Aster's favourite moment was when Valerie had sweetly announced that a Mighty Meaty Cheesy Melt and a chocolate ice cream cone came to $129 and the frazzled mother who had placed the order fainted.

Danny's favourite moment was when Sam had jumped out of her seat and ran over to said unconscious woman, yelling "Don't worry, I know the Heimlich Maneuver!" and then had started explaining, "Well, um, I think you make a fist and hit the chest kind of like this ... oh, oops a little too hard there, heh heh, and then you , er, no, that's not working. Someone help me lift her legs."

Tucker's favourite moment was when Valerie had grabbed a bucket of mop water and dumped it on Sam and the woman to wake her up, but soaked half the concerned people who'd clustered around the hysterical goth, including a girl Jazz's age in a white tank top.

Sam's favourite moment was when Tucker had started crying after Danny had got him in a half-nelson in midair while the tech nerd had been jumping over the table in search of the Hirosaki XR57A while Sam was away from the table. Her least favourite moment had, of course, been getting soaked with dirty wash water. As Sam squelched alongside her friends, she began planning revenge on Valerie (all in good humour, of course, since Val was only trying to get a reaction out of her). She felt someone come up behind her.

"Hey, Sammy. You got lighten up, girl. So much dark emotion just ain't good for you. Think happy thoughts."

Sam glowered at the ground. "Shut up, Aster."

---

Dinner was a quiet affair at the Manson household since Sam had managed to sneak past her parents and change out of her wet clothes beforehand. After dinner was a different matter, though. Pamela Manson had just seen bad news on her doorstep and she wasn't happy about it.

"Samantha!" she snapped, "What on earth is that Fenton boy doing over here? I thought we'd agreed homework only."

"He's not staying, Mom." Sam's mother sighed, relieved. Her daughter turned on the charm and quickly continued, "I'm leaving with him. We're going to a movie." Pam's eyes blazed in fury.

"Alone? On a _date_?"

Aster, floating behind Danny, smiled invisibly at the overwhelming terror the strawberry blond was exuding.

"No. We're meeting friends there." _Well, sort of. We've got a ghost chaperone, but it's still pretty much a date in my books._

Jeremy Manson walked up and put his arm around his wife's shoulder and massaged it. "Pammy, let her go. It's the last day of school. She should celebrate."

"What about ghosts?" quavered Pam.

"That's what we have the ghost hunters for. She'll be fine."

"I'll protect her, Mr. and Mrs. Manson," piped up Danny. "The ghosts will have to get through me first."

"I admire your bravery, son, but leave that to Phantom, okay?" Jeremy Manson smiled jovially. He'd had a little too much wine at dinner and was starting to show the effects.

"All right." Danny tried to sound dejected. "We'd better go, Sam, or we'll miss the beginning."

"Home at ten, young lady."

"'Kay!" Sam jumped on the back of Danny's scooter and he pressed the gas. Jeremy turned to his wife.

"He's really not that bad of a boy, Pam. I wish you'd relax about him. Samantha could be doing a lot worse."

---

Aster sat in the back of the movie theatre with his feet up on the empty seats in front of him. In his lap, he held a regular-sized tub of popcorn that Danny had kindly bought it for him. Every so often Aster would throw a piece of popcorn at a member of the audience and watch in glee as they slapped the back of their head.

Several rows directly in front of Aster sat two black-haired teens, one in a black midriff and the other in a white T-shirt. They were sharing a large popcorn and making snide comments about the zombies rampaging on screen. Every so often the boy would move to put his arm around the girl, then think better of it, and the girl would periodically lean towards the boy, then pull away. The couple (who were not actually a couple, according to them) was emitting a continuous and pleasant mixture of happiness and love. Aster was firmly in the camp that believed that the two teens were really in love with each other, though neither was ready to admit it. Their current behaviour confirmed it.

Aster threw a handful of popcorn at Danny and Sam, then sat back and enjoyed the rest of the movie.

---

As Danny and Sam were leaving the movie theatre, Danny heard screams (his ghost sense was unreliable because of Aster being so close by). He turned to Sam, who said automatically, "Go. Do your thing." Danny didn't even take the time to nod before dashing back into the empty theatre. He reappeared a moment later hovering above Sam as Danny Phantom.

"Okay," he said, looking around. "Where is it?"

He heard more screams, which managed to block all but the last word of the ghost's cry.

"...friend?"

Danny rolled his eyes. It was Klemper again. Danny unslung his Fenton Thermos from his shoulder.

"Hey, Klemper!"

An aquamarine ghost in baggy striped pajamas flew out of a nearby arcade and threw his arms out as soon as he caught sight of Danny.

"Friend!"

Danny waited until Klemper got close to him and Sam before uncapping the Thermos. He was just about to suck the ghost in when Klemper suddenly altered course and caught Sam up in a bear hug.

"Friend!"

"Danny!" Sam wheezed through gritted teeth. The halfa nodded and took advantage of Klemper's distraction to catch him in the Thermos' tractor beam. The ghost was sucked down and into the canister so that Sam was lowered to the ground at the same time.

As he was capping the Thermos, Sam caught sight of Paulina coming out of a boutique. The hispanic girl had just noticed Danny and started to swoon. Sam grinned and looked admiringly at Danny. She even batted her eyes.

"My _hero_!" She grabbed Danny by the shoulders and twisted him around to face her. Before he had a chance to realize what was happening, she planted a kiss right on his lips.

From Aster's point of view, Paulina exploded. A tsunami of anger and jealousy flew out from her and caught him off guard. It was all he could do to fight back an outburst and remain invisible. Unfortunately, the bombardment continued at the same strength for a full minute and he had to fly off to release the pent-up emotions, so he didn't see Danny pulling away from Sam confused and Paulina running off in tears.

"Did I miss something?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. Paulina." Sam grinned wickedly. "I just made her _really_ jealous."

"Oh." He blushed. _Silly me, thinking it was to thank me for the date._ Then he looked down at himself in fear and breathed a sigh of relief. He was still in ghost mode.

_I must be getting stronger,_ he noted._ I didn't turn human this time. Thank _God. Then a thought hit him and made his stomach quaver in nervousness. _That's seriously going to put a crimp in the fake-out make-outs, though. Guess I'll have to be more careful now._

He was brought back to reality by the sound of feet running towards him. Danny and Sam turned from each other to see Tucker running towards them.

"I saw that," the boy accused, grinning. "I guess it really _was_ a date, then."

"It was NOT!" Danny and Sam shouted.

"Then why'd you kiss him, Sam? That wasn't a fake-out make-out." It took Sam a moment to respond, but when she did, it was with dignity.

"I kissed him because Paulina was there and Aster hadn't had a good bout of jealousy yet."

"Suuure," Tucker drawled.

"It's true!" At that moment, Aster reappeared beside them.

"Man, that was _awesome_! That girl's a goldmine."

Sam blushed again. "It was nothing, really..."

"Anyway, I'll let you two _lovebirds_ enjoy the rest of your night. I'm going to torment Spirit for a while." The hippie flew off and everyone else sighed. Their part in the day's "festivities" was finally over.

Of course, that meant only one thing to Tucker. "Sam?" he asked. "Remember how you said I couldn't have that PDA because I needed to entertain Aster?" Sam rummaged around in her backpack and pulled out the slim metal object.

"Here." She handed it to her friend. "I was trying to get Aster some greed. You earned it."

"It's mine? It's really mine? Hahahahahahahahaha! See you guys! I'm going home to be with my baby!" Tucker ran off, too engrossed in the Hirosaki XR57A to notice the lamppost in front of him. He hit it with a reverberating clang and fell backwards, stunned. Sam and Danny started laughing.

Tucker acted instinctively, rolling over and cradling the PDA in his hands. "Are you okay, sweetie? Uncle Tucker didn't hurt you, did he?"

Danny and Sam grinned at each other. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and then flew his not-a-date home. He didn't get a good night kiss, though. He was too scared to try.


	11. Winding Down

_Thanks to Snickerer, FantomoDrako, wfea, YumeTakato, egyptianqueen777, The Sorceress of Light, and Coronadofwb for reviewing._

**Chapter 11: Winding Down**

_I don't own Danny Phantom, Superman, or The Vicar of Wakefield. _

Aster knew from the day's schedule that Lancer was going to be in Casper High's gymnasium helping put the decorations up in preparation for the reunion the next day. Cathy had flown in that morning with her husband, and several other former schoolmates had since joined her and were pitching in for lack of anything better to do. The ghost nodded with approval as he phased invisibly through the ceiling of the gym and saw the tables covered with black and red cloths and the old photographs on the walls. The woman had good decorating taste. The gym looked nice.

"All right, Matt," Cathy called to the thin, greying man on the makeshift stage, "how's the sound system coming? Got that mic working yet?"

The man grinned, leaned into the microphone, and spoke in a raspy, nasally voice. "This is Principal McDonald. Would whoever put food colouring in the drinking fountains please report to the office immediately for punishment?"

That got everyone in the room laughing. They remembered the incident well, because the principal had spent the next week with a blue face, as had half the students at the school. Strangely, Matthew Martin had known not to use the fountains that day, but no one had been able to prove a thing. Cathy had even provided an alibi for him.

Lancer smiled at the scene. Matt was obviously still a clown. He was a perfect match for Cathy. What had he said he was now? A DJ?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cathy asked, appearing at Lancer's elbow and starting to help him place name cards on the tables.

"Oh, just thinking about you and Matt, and how your kids turned out."

"Perfect angels, but got their parent's sense of humour, so I know the local principals pretty well. My youngest will be off at college this fall." She paused as they moved on to the next table. "I didn't get a chance to ask earlier. How's the job situation?"

"I've retired," Lancer told her bluntly.

"Really? Wow. Not completely unexpected, but why?" She winced, and added, "If you don't mind my asking."

Lancer gave a quick smile to assure her he didn't. "The city's starting a ghost awareness program, and wants me as an educational advisor. The salary will be about the same as I got here, and I'll still get to teach, sort of."

"You know that much about ghosts?" It certainly didn't sound like William to be an expert on the paranormal, even if he did work in what she'd found out from the Internet was the most haunted school in America.

Lancer shrugged. "I know enough." _Considering that half the time I _am_ one._

"Is this hush-hush, or public knowledge?" Cathy asked. "Can I mention it to people?" _Why do I feel there's something he isn't telling me?_

"I'm fine with that," Lancer told her. "God knows everyone will be asking about my job tomorrow. I'm not ashamed to be helping the town." Before the two friends could continue their conversation, the inner gym door banged open with an angry, "Hey!"

The occupants of the room turned with a sinking feeling. It was scary how they all remembered that voice thirty years later. Quite a few of those present had had run-ins with its owner in high school, Lancer included even though he'd been a cheerleader, or maybe _because_ he'd been a cheerleader. It was Steve Kraft, the star quarterback, now dressed in army fatigues and looking very angry.

"Where's the guy who runs this school?" the crewcut man growled. "I want to complain about the security." He caught sight of Lancer's shirt and tie and stalked over. "You look like a likely candidate. Why aren't there metal detectors at every door? More security cameras? You can't be too careful these days, especially when it comes to our nation's children."

"Well, we don't actually have a lot of violence in the town in general," Lancer said in an official voice, "and the sort we do get the school _does _have protection against." _Though it's not what everyone _thinks_ it is. _The beefy man leaned forward and Lancer was forced to bend back over the table to avoid him.

"And what sort would that be?" Kraft spat out in a just audible whisper. "I think you're lying. Just like all the rest of you lousy Democrat teachers. You don't care about safety at all."

Someone yelled "Ghost!" at that moment and Lancer looked quickly over Kraft's shoulder to see Aster floating above the stage. The ghost waved at him. Lancer groaned. His ghost sense had told him Aster had shown up, but he hadn't expected the ghost to do something as stupid as appearing and indicating he knew him. Oh, well, couldn't be helped now, and there was only one course of action now.

"Everybody get out of the gym!" Lancer yelled, ducking under Kraft's arm and grabbing Cathy. "Help me!" he whispered.

Her assistance wasn't needed however, since everyone had run for the exits as soon as Aster had been announced. The only people left in the gym were Cathy, Kraft, and Lancer (and Aster, of course). Kraft pulled a handgun out and stood in front of the others, muttering something about protecting civilians. His disregard for his fellow classmates obviously didn't extend to emergency situations.

"All right. I don't know what you are," Kraft said, adopting a fighting stance, "but you'll have to go through me to get to them, and I promise you, it won't be easy."

"Try me," grinned Aster. He flew over to the group and straight through Kraft, picked Lancer up and headed through the wall. He took him to an empty classroom, where Lancer rounded on him.

"Why did you do that?"

"Just saving ya from the bully, man," Aster said in a disappointed tone. "Thought he'd be more chicken than that, though. I wanted him to run." Aster sounded very disappointed.

"Yeah, well, now I'm going to have to fight you for show, and I really didn't want to fight anyone tonight!"

"Well, then, let's get it over with quickly, but out in the open so people can see us. There are going to be some rocking emotions out there right now! And sorry," Aster added as an afterthought, "I wasn't thinking further than scaring people."

"I can tell."

---

Cathy stood beside her husband in the crowd of people in the middle of Casper High's football field, tapping her foot furiously. Kraft, as the "only properly armed man there," had given them a quick debriefing once he'd pulled Cathy outside, then went back in to attempt a rescue. Cathy doubted he'd have much luck. William was still in there too, as far as she knew, with that ghost. What was it doing to him? And where were the ghost hunters?

_I hope he doesn't get hurt_, she thought nervously._ Especially not by Kraft._

"Look!"

Someone was pointing towards the sky above the school, where two figures, one pink and the other blue, had just appeared. The blue figure was firing some sort of lightning at the pink one, who was dodging everything like an expert. There were murmurs of astonishment and disbelief in the crowd.

_Oh_, thought Cathy, _that's right. They don't know anything about the ghosts here. I wonder what this looks like to them? _She sighed and braced herself._ I guess I'd better say something before someone says something stu..._

"Are they _flying_?" asked her husband, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "That is _wild_!"

The hubbub grew louder, and there was a hint of alarm now. Cathy realized the moment for calm, truthful explanation was gone and pulled her husband away from the group. A part of her noted that the fight was slowly moving towards them and got excited at the prospect of seeing Will Spirit up close.

"Matt," she said in a low voice, "I've got some things to tell you and I want you not to react to them, because I don't want everyone scared." The man nodded, knowing better than to contradict that tone of voice.

"Good," Cathy continued urgently. "Amity Park's haunted, by a _lot_ of ghosts. Two of them work to protect everyone from the others, and there are human fighters involved too. That blue guy is one of the good ghosts. I didn't want to mention anything before the reunion, but I think we might have to."

Matt groaned, and with a lot of trepidation said, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes," his wife replied tersely, "I am. Now we've got to keep everyone here calm about this, so that Spirit doesn't have to deal with a bunch of hysterical people."

"Spirit?"

"The blue one."

"You know, if I didn't know you, I'd say you were nuts." Matt smiled tensely. "Do you have any ideas yet?"

"No. _You're_ supposed to be the tactician."

"Right." Matt massaged his temples, then straightened up and thrust his arms out wide. "All right, everyone, listen up! The situation is completely under control. I have just been informed by an expert," he indicated Cathy with a grin, "that the flying blue man we see is a ghost-fighting superhero who is actually a ghost himself. Apparently he does this sort of thing all the time, so we don't have to worry about a thing. Personally, I want to watch this. Who's with me?"

Cathy slapped her face with her hand. _Great, Matt. That's going to calm them down_ perfectly.

"Ghosts? Cathy, are you sure?" asked a brunette with highlights who had been a cheerleader with Cathy.

"Since when has ol' A.P. been haunted?" someone else asked.

"A few years," Cathy said loud enough for everyone to hear me. "William Lancer told me when I was here a few weeks ago. We really _don't_ have anything to be afraid of. This ghost knows what he's doing."

"What about the reunion?"

"It's going to be fine." Cathy's voice was firm but warm. "The town has all sorts of protection, and they're putting it all at our disposal. Ghosts aren't going to be a problem."

"They're over the bleachers now! Come on, guys, isn't this cool?"

_Oh joy. Matt's gone into fanboy mode again. I should have seen this coming_. Cathy rolled her eyes as she turned towards the fighting. The pink hippie from the gym (and the mall, she realized) was indeed fighting Will Spirit, who bore only a basic resemblance to his action figure. There were fewer muscles for instance, and several tears in his spandex costume. The brave face of the doll was also replaced by a fierce yet haggard intensity that both scared and excited her. Taking everything together, Spirit looked almost human, in the "imperfect" sense of the word. There definitely had to be more to him that just fighting ghosts.

"Had enough yet?" Spirit yelled at the other ghost.

"But you haven't even _hit_ me!" the hippie whined. "Come on, do that neat little doubling thingy again. I _like_ that one."

Spirit shot a worried glance at his impromptu audience. It had been quick, and Cathy was probably the only person to catch it. She might not even have noticed it then if William hadn't had a very similar expression just before he was abducted. Spirit's features set into a scowl.

"Oh, you mean _this_ one?" The audience gasped as a whole as an identical ghost appeared beside him.

"Yeah, man. That's awesome. But I bet you still can't hit me!" the hippie taunted.

One Spirit tackled him and they fell to the ground several feet from the crowd of adults. Cathy noted a goatee and a familiar pattern of wrinkles on the ghost's forehead.

_Okay, Cathy, you're looking for connections that aren't there. Snap out of it._

"I'm amazed, Spirit. Two on one and all you come up with is a pathetic tackle? And you're _such_ a great hero too. Oh, and you've really got to loosen up."

"_Vicar of..._" sputtered the Spirit still floating in the air. He quickly clamped his mouth shut.

_Did he just look at _me thought Cathy. _And did he almost swear like William does? There are way too many coincidences now, even if you leave out what happens when you take away the echo effect... That _can't_ be William, can it?_

"Okay, Spirit, I've had enough now." The pink ghost drew his legs up and kicked Spirit off him.

"Then let's get this over with!" the blue clad ghost said, recombining with himself and in a feat of dexterity unhooking a cylinder from his belt at the same time. A blue-white beam shot out, engulfing the ghost, and Spirit descended into the ground in the pause that followed. The cluster of adults stood in shock for a good minute before Matt Martin broke the silence.

"Well, that was weird."

The tension evaporated then, and everyone started talking at once.

"I didn't think ghosts could have that much detail." "He can split himself?" "Are they really _dead_? They don't look it." "This is _normal_?"

Cathy's voice cut through the noise. "Hey! People! Lancer's still up at the school, and so is Kraft. We'd better find them before anything else happens." She began to lead the way, and was glad that people began to follow her. _At least, I hope William's still up there, because the alternative is just too strange for words._

---

Lancer flew into an empty classroom and released Aster from the Thermos.

"Sorry about that," he said to the hippie. "They needed to see a successful capture."

"I know, man. Does it _have_ to be so cramped in there, though?" Aster complained, straightening out a crick in his neck.

"So what emotion made you decide to 'give in'?" asked Lancer curiously.

"Shock, recognition, and denial, all from one person too, I think. Wouldn'ta stopped there, but I figured your cover got blown and you should get out of there eh-sap."

"My cover?" Lancer felt his pulse quicken. _Someone figured it out?_ "Thanks, I guess, though in all honesty, it _was_ your fault..."

"Hey, man, no pointing fingers." Aster held up his hands in mock defeat. "I'm going to call it a day. I've put you guys through a lot. Thanks for everything. Drop in sometime, if you want. I'm going to find the others and head. Peace out, man!"

He flew off and Lancer reverted to human, realizing that Cathy and the others would be worried for his safety. He left the classroom and headed back towards the gym. About a minute later he ran into Cathy and Matt.

"William! Are you all right?" Cathy rushed over to him and began examining him at a distance for injuries.

"Yes." Lancer placed a hand on the wall for effect. "A little shaken, but fine. Spirit got to us before the ghost could do anything."

"You shoulda seen it, Lancer. They were flying and shooting rays out of their _hands_ and then that Spirit guy split himself in half and tackled that hippie and then he sucked him into this thermos thing and then he went into the ground and it was totally awesome!" Matt kept rambling on to himself with a manic grin on his face and gesticulating wildly. Lancer was a little taken aback at his friend's sudden enthusiasm. Cathy saw his expression and rolled her eyes

"Sorry. He gets like this sometimes," she muttered.

"Even at our age?"

Cathy changed the topic. "If you're up to it, we'd better get back to the gym. There's still work to do."

Lancer reassured her that he was okay and they headed off, Matt bouncing beside them on cloud nine. By the time they reached the lit gymnasium they had picked up most of the people Cathy had sent out to try to find Lancer. Kraft was still absent, but everyone seemed to have silently agreed that he really didn't _have_ to be found immediately. They got back to work and were just carrying the last of the boxes into an empty classroom when the army officer reappeared.

"Who authorized you to return?" he growled. "This area was in lock-down."

"This is a _school_, Kraft!" Cathy retorted. "It's not some sort of military command center!" She folded her arms angrily.

"The ghost was gone, so we came back," she continued matter-of-factly. "Did you even _try_ to look for William?"

"Who?" Kraft looked confused and began to look around the room.

"Me," said Lancer flatly, standing in the doorway. He had just returned from his office and was holding his briefcase and a stack of papers. "William _Lancer_. Remember me? The thing with the pompoms?"

"Pantser?" The other man smiled. "How could I forget? I always thought you'd pick some sort of wimpy profession like this."

"Oh, and creating unnecessary violence for political ends is better?" Lancer was feeling a lot more confident around Kraft than he remembered being in high school. Still, a little voice told him to calm down and back off, or he might do something ghostly he'd regret later. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Well, I've got to get the rest of this out to the car." He indicated his burden. "It's been _lovely_ seeing you again, Kraft, and everyone else. Thanks for the help with the set-up. Now I'm afraid I have to lock up here, so you'll all have to leave."

There were low murmurs of agreement in the crowd and people began to file out of the gymnasium into the parking lot. Soon they'd all headed back to their hotels except for Cathy and her husband. Lancer placed his load in his back seat and turned to them. They confirmed their breakfast meeting the next day before the reunion officially started, then climbed into their respective vehicles and drove off.

Cathy, sitting in the passenger seat of a rented SUV as Matt pulled out of the parking space, looked back at Lancer's car, slightly troubled. Was he really Spirit, or was she reading too much into the situation again?

"You okay, hon?" Matt asked softly from the driver's seat. Cathy turned away from the window to face him.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just ... thinking."

---

Aster hovered high above Amity Park, scanning the air for a red figure on a jet sled. Valerie had taken on the late night patrol even though it was the last day of school. Aster considered briefly whether that was because she was being noble or she didn't have many friends or she was just way too obsessed with the ghost-hunting thing. He decided that it was probably all three at once. Eventually he spotted Val over the park and he flew up next to her, keeping pace.

"Boo," he remarked lazily.

"Whadya want, Aster?" Valerie asked in a bored tone. _Is he this annoying on purpose?_

"I'm going home, Red. Thought I'd come keep you company a little first. See if you needed help or anything..."

"Like you'd be any help, wimp." _Well, I suppose we could use him as a shield if we had to... as payback._ "Goodbye, then. I've got to keep my eyes out for _real_ ghosts." Valerie maintained her air of indifference towards him.

"Admit it, Red. You know you like me." He grinned winningly at her.

"As if, hippie," Val spat. "It's been nice meeting you, though, I guess," she grudgingly admitted. "You're not really all that bad."

_Obligation, not liking. She must _really _dislike ghosts to not like _me. "See? Now that wasn't so hard. You should try to be nice more often!"

Valerie glared at him through the glass face of her helmet and Aster decided not to press his luck any further. He flew off, turning around for one final wave when he was out of range. Valerie banked sharply and headed away from him.

_Well_, thought Aster, as he turned back to watch where he was going,_ at least that went better than I expected._ He spotted Tucker's house, the attic room still brightly lit, and flew towards it.

Since Team Phantom had really begun to get underway, Tucker had turned his parents' attic into a technology haven to rival the Fenton's Op Center. Brushed silver was everywhere and the air was filled with an electronic hum. Tucker was sitting in a computer chair, intently exploring every nuance of his new PDA. He didn't notice Aster appear behind him until the ghost spun his chair around.

"Woah!" the boy exclaimed when the chair finally stopped and he managed to push his beret out of his eyes. "You could have warned me, Aster!"

The ghost just grinned. Tucker thought of something, and grinned as well.

"So, how was the date?" he asked slyly.

"Totally far out, man. Those two are completely in love. I don't think I've _ever_ felt that one!" The hippie flung his arms wide and almost connected with a widescreen TV.

"Hey!" exclaimed Tucker, jumping up. "Careful! I paid a lot on eBay for that!" Aster jerked his arms away apologetically.

"Sorry, man. You really should let go of material possessions. You only need nature to be happy."

"Would you stop giving people advice? I happen to _like_ my technology. A _lot_!" Tucker was growing testy. "And don't you _dare_ mention meat again! That's something to talk about with Sam."

Aster shrugged. "Hey, it's in my nature, man. I'm just trying to help people find themselves."

"Or trying to be _annoying_," muttered Tucker. He glanced at the clock on his computer. It read 11:30. "Aster, we promised you a day. It's almost over, and I bet you still have a lot of goodbyes." _I hope he takes the hint and leaves._

Luckily Aster did take the hint and Tucker turned back to his PDA to enjoy it for a few more hours before turning in.

---

Aster found Sam lying in her bed gazing up at the ceiling and clutching a stuffed black cat to her chest. He could feel doubt, worry, and longing coming from her, and decided that a light-hearted tone probably wasn't appropriate here.

"He felt the same, you know."

Sam stiffened and looked around. She relaxed a little when she realized it was just Aster, floating outside her window.

"I know. I just wish he'd make his move. The waiting's killing me."

"Yeah. I can tell. He'll wise up eventually."

Sam tried to change the topic, recognizing that Aster was able to read her feelings. "So, good day?"

"Absotively! All those emotions..." He sighed wistfully. "I'll remember that forever. Literally. I really owe you guys. Think we could do it again sometime?"

"Don't count on it." There was a pounding on Sam's bedroom door.

"Samantha? Do you have your TV on again?"

"That would be your cue, Aster," muttered Sam. "Yeah, Mom, sorry!"

Aster gave a slight comic bow and let himself fall out of sight. He stopped himself just above the first floor window and flew off towards FentonWorks. It was time for the final goodbyes.

---

Danny's ghost sense went off just as he finished brushing his teeth for bed. He looked into the bathroom mirror and saw a pink hippie floating behind him. He placed his toothbrush back in its holder and turned to the ghost.

"You're leaving now?"

"Yep." Aster nodded. "Thanks for the day, man. It was awesome."

"Well, you're welcome. Don't think we want to do it again, though." Danny transformed into Phantom. "We'd better get down to the lab, then, say goodbye to my folks." Aster nodded, and they both dropped through the floor of the bathroom. He reverted to Fenton once in the basement and cleared his throat.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Yes, Danny, what is it?" asked his mother as she pushed her goggles onto her forehead. "We've almost finished the new invention. Thanks for your help with it."

"No problem. Just don't use it on me, okay? Anyway, Aster's here to say goodbye."

"Really? I don't..." Maddie looked around the room but trailed off when Aster appeared in the center of the room.

"Oh, hello," she said warmly.

"Thanks again, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton," he said, "I know you didn't do as much as the kids, but it's really appreciated."

"You're welcome, Aster," Maddie smiled. "I can't imagine life without feeling. Or death, for that matter."

"Yeah, it's tough, but I manage. Today really helped." Aster smiled sadly. "Goodbye, then, I suppose. It's been fun." Aster turned and began to fly towards the Ghost Portal. He paused when he was several feet away and turned to face the humans again, tilting his head to one side inquisitively.

"Oh, and if I ever came back, what would happen?"

"We'll see," said Danny firmly. "You'd have to let us know first, of course."

"Hey, I'm not a troublemaker anymore, man. But yeah, I will. Thanks again." Aster faced the Portal and flew into the green whirls. After several hours of flying he arrived at a door with a peace sign painted on it. He was home, though not for the better. He'd miss his friends on Earth, but they had _essentially_ said he could visit. Maybe he'd take them up on it sometime.

---

_There! The climax is now over! One chapter left, folks… I can't believe it either. _


	12. Resolution

_Thanks to Pterodactyl, YumeTakato, FantomoDrako, wfea, egyptianqueen777, and Coronadofwb for the wonderful reviews! _

**Chapter 12: Resolution**

_I may own Will Spirit, Aster, and Cathy Martin, but I don't own Mr. Lancer, Danny Phantom, or anyone else in Amity Park. I'd like to, but I don't. I also don't own _Anne of Green Gables_, though it is part of my national heritage. I don't drink Coke, so there's no reason for me to own it._

The reunion got underway at ten o'clock the next morning. William Lancer, the school's retiring vice-principal, and Cathy Martin, the woman who'd organized the event almost single-handedly, were waiting at the doors to greet their former classmates. Both wore name badges that loudly proclaimed their identities. Lancer's was plain and unimaginative, while Cathy had chosen to do each letter of her name in a different colour of marker. Cathy's husband, Matt, was inside organizing the CDs of background music. _His_ nametag was purposefully upside-down.

Lancer welcomed and made small talk with everyone who came up the steps of the school. He noted with silent amusement who of his classmates had become successful and who hadn't. They weren't the people he would have predicted in high school.

By one o'clock that afternoon, when the caterers set out lunch for them, all but a few people had arrived and Cathy and Lancer finally had time to mingle. Lancer quickly found himself surrounded by the rest of the cheering squad, trying to look as if he was interested in hair care and fashion. In the middle of a particularly dull description of one woman's clothing store, Cathy leaned over from her spot beside him and said in a low voice, "Let's get out of here." She stepped backwards and Lancer casually followed.

"Were they always that shallow?" Cathy asked in disgust once they were out of earshot of the group.

"I think so," Lancer laughed. "I can't believe they actually expected _me_ to be interested."

"I know," she remarked dryly. "I pity their husbands. Look, William, I'm going to go see if Matt needs anything. Dave Bowman's over there. He's a novelist now. I'm sure you two will find something to talk about."

She pushed him playfully over towards the drinks table , where a flushed man in a grey turtleneck was pouring himself some Coke.. Lancer gave an apprehensive roll of his eyes. _Just because I taught English, she assumes I'll like novelists. I've met a few. They blather on more than Jack Fenton does._

"Excuse me?" Lancer asked the man when he reached the table. He offered his hand. "Dave Bowman? William Lancer."

"Uh-huh." The man looked at Lancer's hand and ignored it. He sneered, "The cheerleader, right? What are you doing now?"

Lancer struggled to remain pleasant. "I've just retired as vice-principal of this school. I taught English and history."

"Oh. Congratulations, then." Bowman continued, smugly, "I'm a writer, myself. Horror, mostly ghost stories. I'm doing one right now with this boy who causes his family's death, kills himself because he can't stand the grief and guilt, then joins his essence with an evil ghost who haunts his house to destroy everything that reminds him of his life. He's a terrifying character. It's kind of apocalyptic and gory, but very gripping, I think."

_Great_, thought Lancer. _He'll think he knows everything about ghosts, then. _

The man looked at Lancer, puzzled. "But aren't you a little young still? To be retiring, I mean."

Lancer sighed before answering. "My heart just wasn't in it anymore. I've got a new job, though, running an education program for the city."

"Oh, is it that GEIST thing I read about in the papers this morning?" Bowman asked, interest appearing on his face. "I can understand the worry, but don't you think the city's going overboard? I mean, ghosts are fine in fiction, but they're not actually _real_. Why defend yourselves from something that doesn't exist?"

"They _do_ exist," insisted Lancer. "Amity Park has a real problem with them, especially at this school. That's why I'm helping out. I _did_ grow up here after all."

The other man looked unconvinced. "They're having you on. It's probably all staged for the tourists. Bet you're even being paid to say that." Bowman sounded as doubtful as Lancer had predicted he would be. He was certainly skeptical of everything and Lancer didn't blame him. After all, he'd thought the same sort of thing once himself.

"Trust me, they're real," Lancer replied in the voice he normally used with Dash Baxter. "I've seen them with my own eyes. But they're also nothing like that book you're writing." His inner voice rolled its eyes. _I can't believe I'm actually defending ghosts. Even if I'm part of their world too. _

"I'll believe it when I see it," scoffed Bowman, and he walked off with an air of disinterest. A petite woman approached Lancer two seconds later.

"Did I hear you mention ghosts?" she asked. Lancer sighed as he turned towards her.

_And I'd hoped to keep this quiet. _"Yes, you did. Why?"

"I think I might have seen one this morning. I'd dismissed it as a trick of light, but if you say they're real ..."

"What did it look like?"

"Purple mist floating down the hallway of my hotel. It was only there for a second. I thought I heard someone laugh, too."

_Desiree. Danny will want to know about that. _"That probably _was_ just a trick of the light," Lancer lied. "It doesn't sound like the ghosts I know of." He crossed his fingers. _Hopefully _that_ will contain the situation_.

It didn't. Within ten minutes of the woman walking off (he could only assume that she had been one of the school gossips), Lancer was surrounded by people wanting to know about ghosts, about the Ghost Education and Information Support Team he'd be helping start, and about what it was like teaching in a haunted school. A lot of people were frightened or worried, but he managed to calm them down, especially when Cathy wandered over and began to say similar things. A surprising number of people were actually interested in what he had to say. Many of them wanted to share their own paranormal experiences with him as well.

_Chalk up one more for the human fascination with the macabre_, Lancer thought drily.

Unfortunately, the furor eventually got so bad that Lancer had to treat his former classmates as if they were schoolchildren.

"_Anne of Green Gables_, be quiet!" And like the students in his English classes, the adults quickly fell silent. Lancer continued. "You didn't come here to hear about ghosts or to listen to me talk. I've said all I'm going to on the subject. Now go speak to other people. You haven't seen _them_ either."

The people surrounding Lancer looked at him blankly. He looked at them pointedly, and there was an awkward silence.

"You heard the man," spoke up Cathy firmly, "leave him alone."

_Then_ they listened, and finally drifted into groups. Lancer walked over to one of the tables and sank into a chair, head in his hands. A minute or so later, Cathy joined him.

"Still don't like being the center of attention, huh?"

"Not when I'm trying to keep track of multiple conversations." Lancer grimaced. "I'm not an expert on ghosts either, and they were treating me like I am."

"Yeah," Cathy agreed. "Nice to know I'm not the only ghost-obsessed person here. I feel less crazy now." _He really does know an awful lot about the creatures_, she noted happily._ That's more support for the Spirit theory._

"Hmph," Lancer snorted. "You shouldn't. You definitely have them beat in that department." _She's interested in ghosts? She always did go for the strange and unusual at the slightest prompting. I wonder how she'd deal with halfas..._ Lancer glanced over at Cathy to see her reaction to his teasing. She smiled at it, and drained her glass.

"Well, I guess I'd better mingle," she said, getting up reluctantly. "You probably should too. Enjoy yourself. You've earned it."

"Ha. Have not," Lancer shot back, but he did as she suggested. The reunion continued well into the night, with slideshows and reminiscing, and the inevitable after-dinner dance. Lancer sat on the sidelines for that, like he had in high school. Even though he'd officially been a cheerleader, he hadn't enjoyed the popularity. There had been a lot of talk among the female population of Casper High back then about his sexuality. Now, he was just a bald, slightly overweight man who tended to fade into the background even when he wasn't using ghost powers.

_Oh yes_, he mentally added. _And it doesn't help that I can't dance. No, no, it really doesn't_.

Finally the night was over and he helped clean up the food and the litter, along with Cathy, Matt, and a few other people who he remembered from his hours in the school library. Everyone would be going their separate ways the next day, though many would probably hang around in Amity Park a while longer, to visit friends and perhaps even see a ghost.

_Maybe I'll see that they aren't disappointed_, Lancer thought to himself. _I bet the Box Ghost would be game._

Lancer locked up the school behind everyone again, and then looked around quickly. He couldn't see or hear anyone, so it was safe. He opened a portal to the Ghost Zone and stepped through, going ghost as he did so. It was time for his weekly visit.

---

After an uneventful flight through the Ghost Zone, William Lancer, or rather, Will Spirit, touched down in front of the Ghost Writer's door and rang the bell. He smiled to himself as he waited for his friend to open the door, and was still smiling when he did.

The Ghost Writer did a double take at Lancer's expression. He wasn't used to seeing the halfa so contented. This was a good thing, though. The worry had been bringing both of them down lately, and Writer got the impression that Lancer hadn't been this free of care in a long while. He wasn't used to bodily contact either, but decided now would be an appropriate time. He reached out and hugged Lancer awkwardly. The other ghost gave a start at the unexpected gesture.

"Glad to see you smiling for once," Writer remarked, pulling away again. "Come on in and tell me all about it." The Ghost Writer led the way into the parlour and brought out a cake, which he proceeded to slice. Lancer took his seat in the armchair and let his body relax into it.

"We got rid of that ghost," he announced.

The Ghost Writer raised an eyebrow. "The hippie? How?"

"Turns out he was just looking for a taste of life. He came to us and asked us to give it to him, so we did. Not a bad guy, in the end, just annoying. He left last night."

"Glad to hear it. The reunion was today, wasn't it?"

"Uh-huh. That went well too. Everyone ended up asking me about ghosts, though." The purple-clad ghost chuckled as he transferred slices of cake onto two china plates.

"That would have been good training for GEIST. How did you handle it?"

Lancer accepted a plate from across the coffee table. "Well, I was as vaguely specific as possible, and I didn't mention the ghost portion of the protection squad. They lapped it all up, and a lot of them had stories of their own." Lancer took a bite of cake and continued. "If that's how everyone's going to react, my job will be easier than I thought."

Writer nodded. "I still can't believe they actually bought it," he said after a moment's pause.

"What?" Lancer asked. "My proposal for a ghost education program? Neither can I, actually."

Ghost Writer stopped in mid-chew, as if he'd thought of something important. "Finish that," he said, pointing his fork at Lancer's plate. "I want to show you something."

---

An hour later, Lancer and the Ghost Writer had come to a stop in a somewhat remote corner of the Ghost Zone. About a hundred meters below them floated a black and white brick building eerily similar to Lancer's beloved Casper High. At this time of night it was silent and dark, but Lancer could tell that during the daytime it would be as busy as any school in the human world.

As he was puzzling over why exactly he'd been brought here, the Ghost Writer dug a folded piece of paper out of his coat pocket and passed it to him. Lancer opened it and read the advertisement, then looked at his friend quizzically.

"The principal came to my home a few days ago," Writer explained. "He wanted me to take it, but I said I can't handle children well. I also told him I knew someone who might be interested."

"I belong in the human world," Lancer protested. "I have another job."

The Ghost Writer looked at him amicably. "It's only part-time," he said, pointing to a portion of the paper. "It doesn't hurt to apply."

"I guess not." Lancer sighed and folded the ad again, then turned to his friend. "Thanks for the evening, and the offer. I'll think about it. It's time I was getting back."

The Ghost Writer hugged him again in encouragement, then Lancer opened a portal and went home to the start of a different life.

**The End**

And there's the end of the third story, folks. Phew! I ended up with two extra chapters this time round. 

_I'm about half done editin_g Comedy of Errors_, but I'm far enough that I can start posting it, and I will in a couple days time. I've just got to get through this week first. Gah! I hate massive projects!_


End file.
